Secrets Told, Secrets Withheld
by Tutankhamunfreak
Summary: Yugi's life was perfect. That is, until his twin brother, Atemu, walked back into his life, turning it upside down. Now he discovers that his family is hiding dark secrets, secrets which will have a huge impact on his life. But why exactly is Atemu in Japan? And what exactly is it that he is hiding? As Yugi struggles to understand, the secrets begin to catch up with them...Pls R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**You know, I'm very bad at this. I keep promising myself that I won't post any new continuous stories and yet, here's another one! To be fair this chapter is because I'm curious to the reception that this will gain because I've had this idea for AGES and I always wanted to know what people thought of it. So I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, although I can't spell or pronounce the guy's name who does own it (I mean no offence to anyone in that statement).**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE BOTTOM**

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Yugi had always hated Atemu. It wasn't because his brother was taller, better looking and had matured far faster than he ever would (not that Yugi had ever seen much of him in the past ten years) but because he lived in luxury whilst Yugi was forced to live with his grandfather with the threat of eviction hanging over his head. It wasn't that they were poor, far from it in fact. It was because gaming stores were no longer doing very well and his grandfather refused to sell what he called the family business to the no good busy bodies up at the Kaiba Corporation for all the money in the world which had led to social life at school becoming a living hell (or at least until Kaiba had graduated early, leaving Yugi in peace). Atemu didn't have to deal with any of this, merely having to lift a finger to have something given to him on a silver plate. And Yugi resented him for this.

It had been a long time since the pair of them had seen each other. Probably Christmas ten years ago when they were five, just before their mother had been killed in the accident. Neither Akhnankhamun nor Atemu had bothered to turn up which had been the first parting of the ways. To learn that Atemu also lived in luxury had not been the thing that brought the two together. Except now, Yugi was being left with a whole month of a snobby twin who had never done a thing for himself. He had a feeling that Atemu and Kaiba would get along just fine and wished that Atemu was _his _twin and not his own.

"It will be fine Yugi," his grandfather reassured him for the hundredth time as he drove the rather battered and dented car towards the airport. "I think you will be pleasantly surprised."

"By what?" Yugi snapped defiantly. "It's not as if he's cared about us for the past ten years." Yugi could feel his grandfather glaring at him from the driver's seat but he didn't say anything in contradiction. It was well known that while Yugi may not like violence, he was one of the most stubborn people that Solomon Motou had ever met and it would take a lot more than harsh words and contradictions for him to believe anything different. Solomon had given up long ago trying to change Yugi's opinion on something once his mind was made up. And so the rest of the journey to the airport was made in silence. Yugi just hoped that they would get back in time for him to visit the arcade with his friends.

The flight that Atemu was coming in upon was scheduled to land at around three thirty but, due to some unforeseen reason back in Egypt the plane had been delayed for nearly an hour and so in reality took a lot longer than had been expected. Yugi found this as another reason to hate Atemu. Why couldn't he just get a private plane? Lord knows their father had enough money to afford one and probably did own one. But no, he had to inconvenience Yugi in his life even more by coming on a normal plane as if he was a completely normal person and then would land and act like a complete prick. The airport was also notorious for failing air conditioning and today was no difference. The height of summer and everyone was far too hot within the small cramped arrivals area where happy families disembarked for a wonderful holiday or loving wives came to meet their husbands returning from a business expedition. Yugi only wished that he could be so lucky.

Finally, someone somewhere must have been looking down gratefully upon Yugi as a flash of the famous Motou tri-coloured hair suddenly appeared. Yugi had not seen his brother for nearly ten years and the difference between his memories of his brother and the boy that stood on front of him now was almost shocking. He was taller than Yugi by a good few inches, perhaps even a foot. He was also stick thin but a layer of muscle made him look about as friendly as a jungle cat. His eyes, which had always been thinner in the more elegant Egyptian style of their fathers were no longer the innocent shade of deep reddish violet but had lightened over the years into a vibrant crimson red. His brother's skin was as tanned as it always was and he shared the same colour hair as Yugi although there was a hell of a lot more blonde in it and Atemu didn't seem to bother to gel it out of his face, the long bangs hanging over his tired face. There was an air of both majesty and confusion about Atemu as he collapsed gratefully into the waiting arms of their grandfather, yawning much like a wild cat and looking as if he had spent the entire journey clinging to the first class seat in fear of crashing (which Yugi would later learn that he had).

Yugi was surprised that the first thing to leave Atemu's mouth was not a complaint but a question. "Why is it so cold in Japan?" his brother mumbled into Grandpa's shoulder almost deliriously, which in turn made Grandpa laugh.

"Everywhere is cold compared to Egypt my boy. Now I think it's best if we head home for some rest eh?" Nobody disagreed with Grandpa when he made decisions such as these, not even Yugi. It was well known that Yugi's stubbornness had come from another certain short person within the family on his mother's side. Unbeknownst to Yugi though, Solomon had also known that the world of Japan was very much different to the one that Atemu had just left behind and it was important that these things were introduced to Atemu slowly. Egypt did not have many of the conventional things that he and Yugi took for granted and Akhnankhamun's hometown even less so. If Yugi were ever to visit Solomon knew that his grandson would be in for quite a shock.

The drive home was also spent in silence, not least because the moment that Atemu had collapsed into the back of the car, he had fallen asleep. If it was really thought about it, it was late in Egypt right now and the flight had been a long and strenuous one from someone who could not remember ever hearing a plane let alone getting on one and flying halfway around the world to get to another country. Yugi spent most of the drive contemplating how someone who had spent most of their life pampered and spoilt could have half the muscles that Atemu had, or half the scars. Not that he could see half of them since Atemu was wearing a black leather jacket done up over a crimson red shirt that probably had long sleeves as well. His grandfather's comment on that everywhere was cold compared to Egypt made a lot of sense in this regard.

The Kame Game store was situated a fair ride away from the local airport but suspiciously close to the hospital, police station and private school that Grandpa insisted that he go to. Domino High was not the most expensive private school in the area (Joey's presence in the school showed that much) but it was one of the most well-known private schools where if anything out of the ordinary happened then it would be all over the newspapers. And a lot of extraordinary things happened. One time, there had been a threat to one of the students (miraculously not one of the Kaiba brothers) and the school had been surrounded by armed guards for weeks. Another time a rather shady looking man had loitered outside the school for days, following rich boy's home to their expensive mansions. The police were called in after he was caught doing this one day by a worried parent but by the time they tracked down where he lived, the man had disappeared and the building that he had been living in went up in smoke. Thankfully he hadn't been seen since.

Yugi was amazed that Atemu was able to sleep through the entire ride since his grandfather was not the best driver (considering he could barely see over the top of the steering wheel they managed to get lots of odd looks too from people who thought that the car was being driven by nothing but a pair of beady grey eyes) which made the entire drive rather scary. Even so it was clear that Atemu was not comfortable and Yugi's resentment told him it was probably due to having been driven around in a limo his whole life (Yugi was yet to learn that where his brother had lived a car was something that could have come from an alien planet for all the people knew and the idea of driving anything with four wheels was preposterous). When they finally reached the store his grandfather seemed to consider something but seemed to decide against whatever it was that he was thinking. He then wandered round to the back of the car and gently shook Atemu awake. Or at least tried to.

"Hetlanel*" Atemu murmured which made no sense to Yugi but must have been something bad for Grandpa's eyes widened in shock. The he hit Atemu over the back of the head. Atemu jolted awake with a shout of "Hey!" before seeming to realise where he was. He then blushed profusely before yawning again.

"Say something like that again in my hearing and that won't be the worst that happens," Grandpa scolded although exactly what Atemu had said was still lost on Yugi but it was probably something to do with swearing. Yugi could not count the number of times he had been grounded for swearing within Grandpa's hearing and being forced to do the stock check, which as interesting as that might be to the outside world, actually having to check through the toys that were sold both bored and frustrated Yugi to no end. For Atemu… who knew?

Atemu seemed to have been scolded enough and just slid out of the back of the car. If Yugi had been looking properly he would have seen the brief look of confusion and panic that slid momentarily across Atemu's features before they were suddenly re-schooled into a blank mask that was the most that people normally saw of Atemu. But at that moment Yugi had been distracted by Joey who had suddenly appeared and jumped on top of him from behind.

"Hey Yug!" he shouted in his usual boisterous way. Yugi yelped as he was pulled into a headlock and Joey proceeded to give him the usual nouggie on the head before he realised that they were being watched by a pair of curious crimson eyes. "Who's this?" Joey asked, still holding Yugi in a headlock. Atemu said nothing, continuing to stare at them curiously before shaking his head and grabbing his bag from the boot. Grandpa had mysteriously disappeared (probably into the store to get away from Joey's rather loud mouth). Then he too disappeared into the shop.

"Who the hell was that?" Joey asked again as he let Yugi out of the headlock. Yugi rubbed his head and glared at Joey.

"Now why would I tell you that after you try to murder me?" he asked playfully, knowing that this would antagonise Joey all the more. Joey glared back at Yugi and was about to leap on his friend and drag him into a new headlock until he relented to tell him who the mysterious person was when they were stopped by a quiet voice behind them.

"Atemu." Yugi hadn't realised how deep his brother's voice was until now, nor the cool confident aura that seemed to surround him (to be fair Atemu had been rather distracted by the dazzling lights and strange sights that he had seen in the space of a few minutes since arriving in Japan). Joey blinked and turned to face him, staring at him for a moment and taking in the relaxed yet tense way that his brother slouched against the door frame, the cool blank expression and guarded look within his eyes. Then he walked over to him (more towering really since Atemu was also quite a bit shorter than he was) and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"And what are you doing here?" Joey said barely disguised protectiveness in his voice. Joey had been the one to deal with all of the bullies from Domino High who had picked on Yugi for his size and how he sounded quite a few years younger than he actually was so it was no surprise that he thought that Atemu, with all his dangerous pride and majesty, was a threat to Yugi. But Atemu also seemed to not be intimidated by someone who was a good foot and a half taller than he was.

"What business is it to you?" Yugi blinked. Joey's threatening demeanour usually worked on all the bullies and life had gone on a little smoother (other than the episode with Ushio and the miraculous appearance of the money to pay him off with to stop him from beating Joey to a pulp) but Atemu wasn't even fazed.

Joey seemed rather taken aback by this as well and stared at Atemu for a little longer before he said, "It's my business if ya here to beat up my best bud ya hear." At this, Atemu's face creased, as if unused to hearing use the words 'ya' and 'bud' and was taking a little time to work out just what had been said to him (which in truth he was). Thankfully he seemed to be saved by Grandpa who made a miraculous appearance.

"Atemu your room's all set up for you. Ah, Joey! Just the person I wanted to see!" Grandpa said as if there was nothing odd about Yugi's twin brother appearing out of nowhere and having a rather one sided argument with Yugi's best friend. Atemu just nodded, still eyeing Joey as if he couldn't understand what had just been said to him and was wary which made him look even more unfriendly. Joey, for his part, just blinked at Grandpa's admission that he knew Atemu.

"Soooooo, who is he?" Joey said, once Atemu was gone. Grandpa raised an eyebrow and looked at Yugi.

"You didn't tell Joey that your twin was coming to visit?" he said as if they were all on good terms. Yugi cringed knowing what would happen next.

"You have a twin!" Joey shouted, looking from him to Grandpa in shock. Yugi bit his lip and looked at the ground, ashamed that he hadn't been able to bring himself to telling Joey about Atemu for the eight years that they had known each other for. Grandpa said nothing, deciding to go hep Atemu unpack.

"I was going to tell you…" Yugi said pathetically, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference. Joey just shook his head and they both headed into the shop. "So how's you dad?" Yugi asked tentatively, already knowing the answer. Joey just shrugged as he leaned against the counter. Neither Grandpa nor Atemu were in the shop.

"He's fine I guess. Not in the house more times than I am at school. Did see Bakura today though," Joey said, the last said half thoughtfully and half chattered. Bakura was a boy who also went to Domino High but how he came to be in the school was only slightly legendary. Bakura had been taken from the slums of Egypt by some kind of charity and placed into a dependable (in theory) private school as a way of saying that anyone can change the way that they live. This had occurred three years ago and Yugi could still remember the half wild boy who could barely speak a single word of Japanese and whose mouth was as dirty as his clothes (which is to say extremely). His bad attitude had gotten him into many fights throughout the three years that he had attended Domino High but the years spent on the street had made him an able fighter, many of his victims being left with broken limbs (he had once left a boy in a coma and rumour had it that whoever paid for his school fees had had to fork out quite a bit of money in compensation so that he would stay in education). Bakura had become the one guy in Domino High who could get away with whatever he wanted since even the head teacher was scared to death by him. It was no surprise therefore, that he would be found in one of Domino's shadiest neighbourhoods where everyone was either drunk or did or sold drugs.

"What was Bakura doing?" Yugi asked uneasily, not really sure that he wanted to know. Bakura had never seemed to be bothered by him and Yugi wanted to keep it that way. After all, he had been witness to Bakura's most famous fight, none of which had been made up.

"I don't know. He just seemed to be hanging around outside some warehouse as if considering whether or not he could use it as some kind of base. Probably for his new drug trafficking system," Joey joked although they both knew that even if Bakura knew a thing about drugs, while he might fight like a wild-cat, he wouldn't touch them. In fact, Bakura knew more about drugs than he did about anything else (or so Yugi thought. As it turned out he knew a lot more about Yugi than he let on).

Yugi shrugged and decided to change the topic. "So what did you want to do?" Joey's face lit up and all thought of Bakura (and Atemu for that matter) left the pair's minds.

"Well, where else is there to go with my best bud than the arcade?" And with that the pair left, laughing and joking, any thought of Atemu or the dark secrets that he held completely gone for the time being. Unfortunately, secrets can only last as long as you can hold them.

* * *

*** This isn't actually a word. I made it up because he's supposed to be speaking Ancient Egyptian NOT Arabic. That will be explained later. I'm not going to say what it's supposed to mean but I'm pretty sure that you can probably guess.**

**Ok, notice that I put in. There is a lot more to this story but I need to hear what you think about this story rather than just a whole bunch of favorites and follows. not that I don't appreciate them, it's just I really need to know whether or not to continue this story because I am working on like four others as well, so please don't just leave it at a favorite.**

**Another notice: This, as you can probably guess, is not a YYxY slash. This is because they are brothers, not strangers and it would be pretty weird if they were. I'm sorry if your insulted by this comment (probably because you will all think that it's obvious, but I have made other stories where I thought this was obvious and got a question back asking if it was a slash. There may be some moment later on in the story (if it is continued) where people might think OMG SLASH MOMENT but seriously, it's not a slash fic. Ok? Good.**

**Ok, last thing: Please just review this story for the sake of my sanity and for all you people who love and want to see Bakura, he's in the next chapter. That's probably blackmail but I don't care! See you all next time if I get some reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I am easy to get to update. I would like to say thanks to CrimsonStrawberry17 for reviewing this, I love you for that! Really made my day! Anyway, that's probably not what you lot care about.**

**So, on with chapter two and I'm not putting in a disclaimer because I think people will get bored with me doing that.**

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Atemu watched as his brother left the store, followed by the rather tall blonde who acted like some kind of overactive puppy trying to protect it's master without the capability to do any such thing. He was as confusing as the rest of this place and things hadn't become any saner the further into this world he went. The lights, the weather, the _time_ all seemed to be out of proportion. There were huge signs everywhere but what they were actually for Atemu did not know. There were tall posts that were bent over the roads at the top with a clear casing of glass showing a strange bulb like growth was alien to Atemu, barely any of them being seen during the short, surprising drive through the streets of Cairo to the airport. None of these things existed in New Thebes and none of them ever would. They were a part of this world, a world that Atemu desperately wanted to be a part of, but he would always be a part of the world that he had left behind. A world with its own language, its own thoughts and its own ideals that were considered outdated and old-fashioned by this world.

Atemu sighed and turned away from the window and tried to ignore the nagging feeling that, besides his Grandfather, he was not wanted here. The frosty silence by Yugi had not been lost on him in the warm airport, even through his fear and confusion of the place he was entering. Then again the confusion had only started the moment they hit Cairo, the fear growing on the thought that his father had sent him to _fly_, a thing Atemu had only thought possible with the help of a Ka, to Japan in a huge metal tube which looked far too heavy and robust to even get off the ground. He had spent the rest of the flight convinced that the tube he was now inside would plummet to the earth, the weight being too much. Five hours on a plane had been far too much for Atemu and the thought of having to repeat the experience was not a pleasant one.

Atemu puffed out another breath and surveyed his room with interest. The room he had left behind in Egypt was nothing like this. It had been huge, triple the size of this one, but bare, filled with nothing but the four-poster bed and a small table in which sat a washing bowl, and underneath, a bowl for which was used for if you were in need of the toilet. The room here was much smaller but Atemu found that he preferred it that way. While the bed was not a huge four-poster bed covered in silk sheets, it was covered in a soft duvet, and was situated by the window so that Atemu could easily look out over the street outside. The walls were painted a soft gold, a much nicer colour than the bare stones of the palace back home. They were even covered with a few pieces of paper with coloured pictures, although how they were so accurate was something else that was lost on Atemu. He might know the language of this place but everything, even the clothes, baffled him as much as he tried not to show it.

He was thankful however, to his Grandfather. He had been kind and understanding of his reaction to this strange new world and had welcomed Atemu here, helping him get past the initial shock that clean water could run through small tubes (pipes as his grandfather had called them) without the need to have someone purify and cleanse the water before it could be bathed in. In fact it was a novelty that it could even be drunk to Atemu. Even so, Atemu had been unaware that his Grandfather even spoke his native tongue which made him remember his earlier slip of the tongue. Then again his father didn't even know that he knew those words so he wasn't truly bothered (he was sure that if his father did then he would be flogged. Again.)

The door suddenly opened and his grandfather entered. For such a short and stoat man he could move surprisingly quickly. "I was wondering if you needed any help unpacking," he said, the old eyes twinkling with a spark of mischief and happiness. Atemu smiled and shook his head.

"I'm fine. There wasn't much that I could bring in the first place." Solomon Motou nodded his head and retreated out of the room as Atemu moved towards the bag that had been packed before he even knew that he was leaving. The clothes were strange to him but he knew that he couldn't wear his ordinary clothes as they were too inconspicuous. In fact it had been all been his father's idea in the first place to leave. Atemu had wondered at this for a moment before casting the thought aside. If his father wanted him to leave the country then there was a perfectly good reason for this, one which probably involved his uncle. It always did.

Atemu could pinpoint many times in his young life that he had been told that they were leaving to go somewhere else. The Oasis of Osiris had been one and when they had returned the palace looked as if someone had laid siege to it. A pilgrimage to the Valley of the Kings (the obscure corner of course) had been another, returning to see a political battle bring fought within the council rooms. Atemu was not scared of many things, but when it came to his father telling him to leave he knew that the reason would be in preserving his life. There had been more assassins than Atemu cared to count for and he hoped that there would not be a kind of modern assassin waiting for him round the next corner. Unlike Egypt, most of which he knew quite well from many visits all over (only to the traditional or small villages and towns), Japan was wide open and there was only a very small part that he knew, if any. He had not been to Domino for nearly ten years and now he had been forced to leave the country which meant that something dreadful was about to happen. Something that needed the heirs of the country to be far away from the brewing fight that would break out back home. And that made Atemu fear for both his brother's safety as well as for his own life.

It had seemed almost unearthly when his father had told him. In fact it had only been last night, as he was about to fall asleep. _I'm sending you away to Japan. You need to learn about other cultures, not just our own_. Atemu had not missed the catch in his father's voice nor the longing._ You'll be staying with your brother. Keep safe._ Atemu's fingers subconsciously lifted to where his father's had brushed his cheek, something that was unknown for Akhnankhamun to do. He was well known as a hard cold man who was not a very 'huggy' person although it was well known that his love for his son knew no bounds.

Something flashed underneath the window outside. Atemu blinked and turned to see what had happened but on seeing nothing turned back, one eye kept on the window. Years of living under threat, both playfully and criminally, had taught him how to make it look as if he were busy concentrating on something whilst keenly watching the area where the enemy had given themselves away. A tanned hand reached out for the latch on the window and Atemu felt a smirk fall into place on his face. He carefully stood beside the window, making sure to keep out of sight of the intruder. There was a click as whoever it was managed to unlock the window from the outside (even though the lock was inside the room) and the slim form of a boy his own age slipped into the room. Atemu didn't let the boy see him but the moment he passed by the darkened corner he swung an arm out, grabbing the boy and pinning him to the wall.

A tumble of fluent swearing erupted from the boy, both in Japanese and Atemu's home language, as he struggled to free himself but Atemu didn't loosen his grip. The smirk never left his face but he contained the laughter that was bubbling up inside him. This was actually a pretty normal circumstance back home (when this boy was actually _back_ home) and the result was the same every time.

"You know Bakura," Atemu said, "I thought we were past all these childish games."

* * *

Yugi was having a great time. He was in the arcade with his best friend, he was winning and his brother wasn't around to annoy him. He felt a little guilty for leaving Grandpa with the annoying brat but he didn't feel anything towards Atemu, who found the whole of Japan practically alien. Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end eventually and Yugi had promised to be home every night before eight o'clock.

"So," Joey said as they made their way back to the Game store, "what's your brother like?"

"Don't know," Yugi said shortly. "Don't care. Probably snobby and annoying."

"How'd you figure that?" Joey was looking at him with surprise. Normally Yugi was a very friendly and open person but the moment his brother had been brought into the conversation his mood had turned hostile.

"Well, let's think. He's been living in luxury for the past ten years with our father while I and Grandpa have had to scrape through life, trying to avoid eviction by Kaiba Corp. Oh, and let's not forget that he didn't bother turning up to our mother's funeral, nor did he bother to even write a letter in those ten years! I practically didn't have a brother for ten years of my life and now he thinks he can just walk into my life like we've never been apart!" Yugi's voice had risen as he ranted and Joey's face darkened at the mention of everything that Atemu had done.

"Ok, I could understand living the lap of luxury but no one forgets that they have a brother. Especially not one as awesome as you, Yug'. He's messed up." Yugi sighed and trudged on in silence, knowing that he would be forced to hold a conversation with him at some point.

The walk from the arcade wasn't long and soon Yugi and Joey were standing outside the Game store. Yugi had made sure to invite Joey to stay at least for dinner just so he could ignore Atemu for that little bit longer but the store was empty and no one was in sight. This wasn't unusual since the store shut at six but the sound of laughter and shouting that was coming from the living area above the shop _was _unusual. Yugi looked at Joey who looked just as stumped as he felt. Who could Atemu have met already and laugh like they were friends?

Yugi found himself walking up the stairs in trepidation, wondering what he would find on the other side. Tristan come round for a surprise game night? Kaiba come to evict them only to find a friend in Atemu? Or even, god forbid, Tea had come in and instantly started crushing on his brother? Yugi reached for the door, his hand shaking and was about to open it when he realised two things: one, neither of the two boys on the other side of the door were speaking Japanese, and two, that the second voice was a terrifyingly familiar voice. He turned to look at Joey who looked a little green. Of all the people that Atemu had to be friends with, why did it have to be _him_?

"Maybe we should come back later?" Yugi whispered. Joey shook his head.

"Gramps'll kill you," he whispered back. "Better to get it over with." Yugi bit his lip but knew that Joey was right. Screwing all his courage together he pushed the door to the living space open and walked in to find his brother and the one and only Bakura sprawled across the couch, a game of Dual Monsters between them. Surprisingly, Atemu looked as if he were creaming Bakura easily.

Both boys looked up as the door opened and Bakura raised an eyebrow when Joey walked in after them. Atemu's face was blank, nothing showing on his face, eyes watching Joey cautiously. Bakura looked like he usually did, tanned skin, white messy hair to just past his shoulders, the scar from who knows what standing out on his face as it did every time that he dared look at Bakura. And of course, he was wearing the usual evil smirk as he leaned back and looked at them upside down.

"Oh, look," he drawled, "the little pipsqueak has come home." Atemu's reaction to this was to kick Bakura in a rather delicate area, at which point he let out a yelp and curled into a ball, muttering profanities under his breath.

"Ignore him," Atemu said. "He's an idiot most days."

"You… know each other?" Yugi said faintly, his mind reaching back to the day of the comatose fight. He wondered how Atemu could get away with hitting Bakura and not ending up dead.

"Strangely enough, yes," Atemu said, returning his eyes to the hand of cards in front of them. "It's your move Bakura."

"You win. I'm bored of this game," Bakura snapped, jumping up from the couch and stretching in the same cat-like way that Atemu had earlier. Yugi realised that there several similarities between Bakura and Atemu. Neither would have looked imposing if you didn't know that both were capable of decking someone three times their size, both moved with an almost cat-like grace and both were pretty much anti-social (in Yugi's opinion). And yet there was still the rough, unrefined look to the way that Bakura moved to the way that Atemu did, showing that they both came from completely different backgrounds and yet they seemed to be close friends. Yugi wondered how that could be.

At that point however Grandpa walked in the room and noticed the four of them standing in the living room, looking at each other warily.

"Ah, Yugi! Your home! I was wondering if I was going to have to send a search party looking for you! Staying Joey?" Grandpa was used to Joey just randomly staying for dinner. It normally happened once a week, sometimes even more and since Joey was a bottomless pit, they were stocked with plenty of food.

"Sure thing Gramps!" Joey said with a grin. Bakura scowled at the level of noise but said nothing. Grandpa just grinned.

"I thought so. Good thing I made enough for five!" And with that, he disappeared back into the kitchen. Yugi felt his stomach drop. _Five_? They were sharing dinner with _Bakura_? They were so dead.

Joey must have been going along the same thoughts as he sent a glance back to Bakura who just grinned maliciously. Joey opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Atemu.

"Just leave it, the pair of you." There was no room for argument in Atemu's tone and his crimson eyes seemed to pierce right through both Joey and Bakura. Joey flinched and Bakura scowled again but neither said a word. Atemu turned back to the book that he must have been reading before they walked in and silence reigned until Grandpa called them in for dinner.

* * *

Dinner was… interesting. Atemu seemed to just be enjoying the food and the sense of being somewhere other than his home, Bakura was digging into the steak as if it were the last thing he would ever eat and Joey seemed to be competing with him as to who could eat the fastest. Grandpa just looked as if he were laughing at them on the inside. Yugi didn't eat much himself. He was too distracted by the fact that he was eating dinner with _Bakura_ of all people. How on earth did he and Atemu know each other?

"You got a problem pipsqueak?" Bakura growled, looking up from his meal as if he had only just noticed the fact that Yugi had been staring at him.

"N-Not really," Yugi stammered. "I was just wondering how you knew Atemu." Bakura gave him a long look that was almost incredulous and then turned and said something in that strange language to Atemu. Atemu was just frowning, a look of either confusion or anger crossing his face. Perhaps both.

"Your dad was the one who sent me to this goddamned place," Bakura snapped in the end. Yugi blinked. He had? But why?

"Don't worry. He's never here for the summer. We get stuck with him instead," Atemu said quietly, suddenly no longer interested in his dinner. "I'm going to bed." He suddenly got up from the table and strode out of the room. A moment later a door slammed upstairs. Bakura just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not staying to deal with the fallout of _that_ discussion," he said, his eye still watching the door warily, as if expecting Atemu to come back and throttle him.

"Great," Yugi muttered. Bakura shot him a look.

"You know, as much as I would love to watch your friend get beaten to a pulp, he's not angry at you. More like, your dad should be watching his back for the next few weeks. That is, if he's not already dead." Yugi stared at Bakura, his mouth hanging open. Grandpa looked up sharply and sent Bakura a long stare. Joey just looked shocked.

"What?" Yugi shouted, wondering what on earth Bakura could mean. Bakura just raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't know? Your dad is one of the most secretive people I know but I thought that even _he_ wouldn't be pea-brained enough to not keep you in touch with what's going on," Bakura said, idly leaning back in his chair, a malicious smirk on his face.

"This has nothing to do with Yugi. Akhnankhamun promised," Grandpa said quietly. "I would have thought that even you would know that Bakura." Bakura snorted and shook his head, standing.

"Personally I'd give the old bastard a week, if that. Akhnadin's no longer his biggest problem." With that Bakura stalked to the door and left, but not before sending Yugi another malicious smirk and shouting "Later dead-meat!"

Yugi turned to his grandfather feeling utterly confused. What was going on that even Bakura knew yet he didn't? Why wasn't he allowed to know? And who on earth was Akhnadin and Akhnankhamun?

"Grandpa! What's going on?" Yugi cried, turning to look desperately at his grandfather. Grandpa just looked at Yugi gravely and gathered up the dirty plates.

"Nothing you need concern yourself about Yugi. Nothing at all."

* * *

**You guys should be honored, these are some of the longest chapters that I've ever written. i only ever write long chapters of the story's going to be short or a one-shot but this isn't anywhere near finishing! If your wondering why this was able to be updated quickly was because I've had several chapters of this already written before I even posted it. These aren't the best chapters although I must admit, I do enjoy writing Bakura's character.**

**So, things to look forward to: Game's night, answers and questions and very soon, Yugi and Atem's arrest. Bye now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry I haven't updated this for a bit. I was busy updating my other ones (weird because they're not written out) and I was debating a bit in my head over the sequel (because there will be one). I must say thank you to CrimsonStrawberry17 who was the only one to review AGAIN but so far, that's not bothering me beause no one really reviews my Yugioh fics. It's all my Merlin ones that people tend to review so, not bothered. Much.**

**Anyway, here I am rabbiting on again like the Mad Hatter (which I probably am considering how much I talk to myself) and you probs don't care what I have to say. All I'm going to say is that I have a long car journey tomorrow because I'm going to Hickstead tomorrow for my mother's birthday which will give me plenty of time to think of ideas for where this story is going to go next and exactly what will be in the sequel. I think I know what it will be, but we'll see where we get to with this story first.**

**I may just like to add that this may take some time. I've only just finished up one story that 've been working on for three years, so if you want to back out now, I'll understand.**

**Anyway, I'll stop talking now.**

* * *

Atemu woke the next morning, irritated, tired and very confused. It took a few moments to realise that the shouting coming from outside his room wasn't the guards that his father kept posted there every night and that it wasn't even in his home language. As the Japanese words slurred together in his head he realised that it was actually his grandfather shouting up the stairs for Yugi.

"You're going to be late for school again! No, there's no time for breakfast here, you'll have to get some at school!" There was the sound of whining, which Atemu took to be his brother complaining about the fact that he was being forced to skip breakfast. Atemu yawned and sat up, feeling strangely cold, only to realise that his pet leopard, Hotep, wasn't actually sleeping on the bed. In fact, Hotep was miles away in Egypt with his father, probably protecting an empty room. The leopard wouldn't know that Atemu wouldn't be home for a long time.

The sound of the front door slamming pushed the last dregs of sleep from Atemu's mind. He sighed and pushed the bedcovers away, knowing that any renewed attempt at sleep would only end in failure. At least Bakura would have to follow the laws of this country and actually turn up for school today and not bug him about what exactly was going on back at home and whether the thief court had been discovered. Considering the thief court was able to just about get by without their illustrious leader and that they had yet to be discovered, Atemu was fairly sure that even the idiots among them would be fine. That, and the fact that the thief court had bigger things to worry about than just the stuff they could steal from the local tourists. Atemu shook his head, wishing he could think about other things than his father's supposed impending doom.

The smell of cooking compelled Atemu to wander downstairs, thanking the gods that there was someone else in the house to distract him from the bitter thoughts in his head. His grandfather was making breakfast and smiled when he realised that Atemu was in the room.

"I would have thought that you would get up later than this," Solomon said, smiling at his eldest grandson. Atemu may not look like Yugi, but he certainly had the same sleepy look that Yugi usually had when he was roused from sleep early. However, Yugi would usually then complain bitterly at having been woken up. Atemu just looked used to having been forced to get up early.

"I was woken up by all the shouting," he murmured, flopping into a chair with hardly any notice at how graceful the move was. Then again, Solomon had the feeling that Atemu was used to sitting in hard, uncomfortable chairs and was more amazed by the comfort of the sofa than the plastic kitchen chairs.

"Sorry about that. Your brother has a lack of inner body clock. If you don't get him up he would sleep the day away." Atemu's mouth twitched at what would have been a smile if he hadn't been taught for years that outer emotions were dangerous. Solomon felt a stab of pity, knowing that any innocence that Atemu may have retained from childhood would be hidden from the world. However Solomon also knew that Atemu didn't want pity. He wasn't like that. He would much rather you tried to kill him than tell him that you felt sorry for him. That was how Atemu's world worked, because he already knew that he had lost out on this world and would rather focus on whatever life threw at him next than what could have been.

"Then he wouldn't like home," Atemu said quietly. Solomon found himself thinking of that sandy place that Atemu had come from, the gleaming walls of gold leaf and the streets filled with people who knew so little and yet so much about the world.

"I don't think Yugi would understand," Solomon said quietly. "Everything would be alien to him." Atemu shot him a sharp look as he tucked into the plate of eggs and bacon his grandfather had put in front of him.

"You mean like how everything here is practically alien to me?" There was a challenge in Atemu's voice and Solomon cursed his bad phrasing. Atemu was used to double meanings, not realising that he had meant nothing of the sort.

"No. Everything would be alien to Yugi because he doesn't make the effort to understand," Solomon said patiently, hoping that Atemu would at least understand that. It was horrible to have to teach your own grandson to trust you but when even your own uncle tried to kill you… well, Solomon could understand why Atemu was at least a little wary. He wasn't a fool to think that Egypt's troubles stayed in Egypt.

Atemu looked a little confused so Solomon decided to change tack. "What are you going to be dong today?" Atemu blinked at the change of topic and then shrugged.

"I don't know," he said honestly. Well, at least that was one problem that Solomon was able to sort out without introducing too much too quickly. The outside world may still be a mystery to Atemu but if he was going to be living with them, Solomon figured that he could get Atemu used to life inside for a while. Especially as this would help him outside as well.

"Well, I'm going to need some help with the shop later on today. I've got to go and pick up some groceries since we're nearly out and I can pick Yugi up from school on the way home. I can teach you all you need to know before I leave." A sort of spark lit in Atemu's eyes and Solomon smiled. If there was one thing that Atemu didn't lack it was fighting spirit.

* * *

Yugi glared at the clock on the wall and wished it would move faster. He hated the last class of the day, especially when it was Japanese* and the teacher would drone on for ages about one text or another. Yugi wasn't really all that bothered about Japanese- he was planning on running the family business not writing the next classic novel. He was also looking forward to games night with Joey and Tristan.

This would happen every Friday night. He, Joey and Tristan would crash at his place and Grandpa would let them have a game each from the store which they would then use in the ultimate gaming competition. This meant that the person who won the most games would get to pick a dare that the person who lost the most games would then have to complete (although this was only limited to the house and the entertainment of those inside - Grandpa forbid the use of blackmail and rude dares). It was actually the best part of the week and Yugi hoped that his twin would not ruin the fun for them this afternoon.

As the clock began to tick closer to the end of the day, restless whispers rose around the class and people began to fidget. Yugi hated this class for many reasons although the fact that he was forced to sit behind Cindy Jamieson and Kew Yen was probably the worst thing. Both girls were notorious gossips and had no heart about whether or not they ruined someone's social life with it. They were also both well off and were able to spend lunchtimes outside the school, where they would gossip with other off-campers and find out what was really going on in some places (this usually made Yugi's life worse). However today, neither of them was talking about juicy goings-on in school.

"Oh my god, did you walk past the Game shop today?" Kew was whispering to Cindy, making Yugi wish he could sink lower in his chair. It was no secret that the Game shop was where he lived and both girls were fully aware of this and therefore Yugi put this conversation down to public humiliation for the next day.

"No. Only lame kids go there," Cindy shot back, her head jerking behind her a little towards where Yugi was sitting. Yugi wondered if she actually realised that he could hear her loud and clear.

"Not anymore. The hottest guy I've ever seen was working in there today!" Kew squealed under her breath. Yugi blinked wondering who she was talking about. Cindy just looked shocked.

"No way! What was he like? Who was he?" she whispered frantically, the gossip inside her clearly showing.

"I don't know but he was all tan and lean and buff! And he had the most gorgeous eyes! They were all crimson but not like blood, like satin! Like the satin dress I wore last year to the school dance!" Kew gabbled her eyes wide and bright with something akin to lust. Yugi sank down lower in his seat. Of course. They would be talking about Atemu. After all, everything seemed to be about Atemu now.

"Ok, I have to see him now!" Cindy whispered and Yugi contemplated warning his brother that he had a fan-club. He also contemplated asking the girls over to his house just to see Atemu's face and then decided he wasn't that cruel. He might not like his brother but no one deserved a night with those two.

Kew was about to answer when the bell cut her off and Yugi gathered up his things and dashed away before the squealing could start up in full force. He hated sitting near the back as, because he was so small, he was always crushed into the doorway since people didn't see him until the last minute. Thankfully, he practically skipped this and managed to make it to the front of the school without being crushed by the crowd for once. Joey and Tristan were waiting, surprisingly, by his grandfather's car with Grandpa sitting in the front seat.

"Hello Yugi! Nice day at school?" Grandpa asked as they piled in.

"Uh, fine but shouldn't you be watching the shop?" Yugi asked, nearly shouting over Joey and Tristan's arguments over who would win today's competition.

"Oh, I left Atemu in charge of the shop. He did so well this morning I thought that he could handle it and I wasn't gone for long. Only to get some groceries from the shop considering your friends were coming over tonight!" There was a gleam in Grandpa's eyes when he said 'friends' and Yugi cringed. Neither Joey nor Tristan seemed to have a bottom to the endless pits of their stomachs and were constantly eating them out of food. What worried Yugi now was that Cindy and Kew would get back to the shop before they did.

"I don't know whether that's a good idea. There were some girls in English who seemed pretty keen to meet him…"

"What'cha talking 'bout Yug'?" Joey suddenly said, butting into their conversation. Yugi felt himself flush wondering if he should really be sharing this information.

"Oh, nothing. I just heard Cindy and Kew talking about how they had seen this guy in the Game shop that they thought was, err, good-looking and were planning to drop by," Yugi said, noting the growing looks of horror on Joey and Tristan's faces.

"Ok, I might not like your brother but no one deserves the horror of those two!" Joey shouted. "Step on it Gramps!" Grandpa just laughed at their antics, shaking his head.

"I'm sure Atemu can handle himself around teenage girls. It's not like he hasn't met any before," Grandpa said, still chuckling.

After what seemed like an age they pulled up outside the Game shop, which was surprisingly quiet. It wasn't until Yugi noticed a flash of white hair leaning against a counter that he realised why. Bakura had dropped by for another visit and had somehow managed to beat them on foot than in the car. On foot, the journey took about twenty minutes, ten minutes by car, so how he had beaten them was anyone's guess. Tristan looked a little shocked at finding Bakura in the shop.

"Um, maybe we should come back later," he said, his eyes flicking towards Bakura through the shop window. Yugi shook his head.

"He'll still be here later. He and Atemu are best friends apparently," Yugi said, trying not to sound edgy. Bakura hadn't exactly been welcoming the last time he had been at the shop and Atemu had left dinner early in a bad mood. Yugi was also not sure how he felt about some of Bakura's other comments as well.

Grandpa just looked at them for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside. Yugi heard him greet the two boys and watched as Atemu came round from behind the counter. And Yugi had to get used to the sight of his brother all over again. Today, he was wearing jeans and a green t-shirt, his long hair pulled back out of his face by an elastic band. Some wild blonde bangs fell into his face giving him a dark, almost dangerous look despite the casual clothes. Yugi also noticed the golden bands around his brother's neck for the first time, and the glint of more gold under the t-shirt's sleeves around his muscled arms. Yugi wondered why he hadn't taken them off but figured that he would ask that later. Pushing ahead of Joey and Tristan, he stepped into the shop after his grandfather.

"Hey pipsqueak! Survived another day of school?" Bakura was lounging against the cash desk, fiddling with a bunch of keys which looked suspiciously like the main keys to the entire building. He was fairly certain that Grandpa kept them in a secure place, where thieves couldn't get at them so how had Bakura gotten them? Grandpa seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Bakura, while you are in my house you will not steal. This is my home, not Egypt. The keys, if you will." Grandpa held out a hand which Bakura sneered at. However, Atemu suddenly swiped at Bakura's hands, causing him to drop the keys into Grandpa's outstretched ones.

"Watch what you're doing!" Bakura growled, rubbing his hands together. "I've got to use these later. There're some bottles of whisky with my name on for later."

"You're not drinking here either," Atemu said with a note of finality. Bakura muttered under his breath in his native tongue which Yugi took to be swearing. Not that Atemu seemed phased by it.

"Hello Yugi. How was school?" Atemu asked, almost mildly, ignoring Bakura's death glare.

"Fine," Yugi muttered. He turned to Grandpa. "Can we go upstairs now? We've still got games night." Grandpa blinked as if he had forgotten that Joey and Tristan were in the room with them. Well, they were both being uncharacteristically quiet, Tristan standing there with his mouth open like a fish. Atemu was looking at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Is there a reason why you look like a fish or do you normally walk around with a gormless expression on your face?" Atemu smirked as Tristan closed his mouth with a snap.

"Of course. Which games do you want?" Grandpa asked his eyes bright. Yugi knew that his grandfather loved games just as much as he did, and happened to be even better than Yugi. However Grandpa refrained from being a part of games night due to his 'old-age' he had stated although Yugi imagined that he just liked to watch his grandson have fun.

It wasn't until they were well into the evening (on the third game of Dual Monsters in fact) that Yugi noticed that Atemu was nowhere in sight. In fact, Yugi hadn't seen him since they had picked out their games. He turned to Grandpa to find that for once, Grandpa was not watching them play. Instead he was sitting in the kitchen, his chin resting on his interlaced hands, looking thoughtfully into the middle distance. Yugi quietly left Joey and Tristan to battle it out, knowing that Joey had already won the game anyway.

"Grandpa?" Yugi asked. His grandfather looked up, blinking, as if he hadn't realised that Yugi was there. Yugi frowned. That was unusual in itself. Solomon Motou had lost none of his hearing, or near perfect eyesight, in his old age. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine Yugi. I'm just worried about Atemu is all," Grandpa said, sending Yugi a reassuring smile. But Yugi felt anything but reassured.

"What do you need to be worried about Atemu for? Doesn't he have people who are paid for that?" Grandpa's face hardened as he looked at Yugi. There was something almost angry about that look which shocked Yugi. His grandfather rarely got angry and he didn't attempt to anger him either. Grandpa had a mean temper.

"Yes, your brother might be used to a totally different lifestyle to this, Yugi, but what you have to understand is that a lot of this is almost overwhelming for your brother. He has come from a very different world and much of Japan is almost alien to him and he won't admit that he's afraid. And I don't blame him for being afraid for us all." There was a deep finality to Grandpa's voice, something that Yugi had never heard before. Yugi felt his stomach drop at the thought that there was something dangerous to them all that had followed Atemu.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked quietly, fear coursing through his veins. Never in all his life had he ever been in danger, not even when he was around Bakura. "Where's Atemu?"

"Atemu went out with Bakura. Mentioned something about meeting Seto in the park." At Yugi's surprised look his grandfather raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you think that Atemu couldn't possibly know anyone famous? Your father is a very powerful and influential man. Even Seto has a great sense of respect for him and, therefore, to us. He and Atemu have been friends for a while."

"So, are there any other people that we don't like that Atemu is friends with?" Yugi asked, sarcasm colouring his tone. He liked this conversation a lot better than the one about being under threat.

"Seto Kaiba has left us alone for five years. You would know this if you had paid attention." Yugi frowned. Five years… that was about the time that Kaiba had started to run the company his own way as well as starting to disappear to Egypt for the holidays.

"I didn't know," was all Yugi was able to say however. Everything else made no sense anymore and suddenly games night felt silly and childish. Here they were, having a conversation about Yugi's father, who hadn't talked to Yugi in ten years, and they were playing card games to see who would get the dare for the night? What was his life turning into?

* * *

*** For everyone who lives in England, America or anywhere else this is English. I didn't think that people in Japan would use the word 'English' to describe literacy lessons so I called it Japanese instead, working on the theory that my German teacher uses 'German' to describe their lessons of English. I don't know if this is the same world over. Just in case anyone got confused with the novel references.**

**Ok, this was more of a filler chapter if I'm to be honest but the next one is more interesting, I promise considering Yugi and Atemu get arrested.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is actually pretty long for me, although technically, they all are. Anyway, I would like to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, answers will be at the bottom for those who asked questions. **

**Not much to say other than that. So, on with the story.**

* * *

The next day dawned relatively quietly for Yugi. For once he was up early, unable to stay in bed any longer than necessary. Atemu hadn't returned until late into the night and had looked troubled when he walked in. Bakura had been nowhere in sight and Yugi got the feeling that some random person on the other side of town was being mugged. Yugi sighed as he stared out at the bright sky, wishing he would be able to sleep in on a Saturday morning, and not have to worry about anything to do with his father or his brother. In fact, Yugi had been doing quite well without him and now he had come, dragging danger and lord knows what with him.

It didn't take long for Yugi to realise that he was the first one up but he was surprised when he did. He didn't normally get up until late and had no idea what to do right now. He wasn't feeling all that hungry, the worry and curiosity blocked it out, and so he decided to take a walk around instead. Perhaps the fresh air would do him some good and the exercise would give him a healthy appetite for breakfast.

The day was bright and sunny, giving Domino a cheerful feel. Domino city could be a very beautiful place, especially in this area of town so near the park. Since it was early, not many people were around and the park was fairy empty of annoying little children who would scream and shriek throughout the day normally on a weekend. Yugi liked the quiet it brought and could feel himself relaxing. Flower blossoms blew past his face and ticked his nose, making him laugh. He considered collecting a few to give to Tea but then realised that she wouldn't care either way and, anyway, she wouldn't be up yet anyway. That and she consistently told Yugi that she only felt for him what a friend would and refused to indulge in Yugi's crush on her. Yugi had thought that he had kept it secret enough but she had guessed anyway and would only give him that friendly yet sad smile when he tried to bring it up. However, the flower blossoms soon became the least of Yugi's problems.

Yugi had never been very good at sensing danger and he certainly didn't sense it now which was too bad. He hated the fact that he had constantly been picked on and he hadn't been able to stop the bullies nor sense when they would next pounce. So when he crashed straight into someone, it was no surprise that he didn't realise the danger until he looked up.

"Well, if it isn't the little game nerd Yugi Motou," Ushio Myette sneered as he towered over Yugi. Ushio was huge, built exactly like the police officer that his father happened to be, and liked to remind everyone of that. Yugi didn't think that most police children were all that bad but Ushio seemed to think that made him immune to the law let alone school rules. In fact, he seemed to think that it gave him the power to pick on small children and Yugi had been his favourite until Ushio had graduated. Thankfully, Yugi hadn't seen Ushio since then but it seemed that today was not his lucky day.

"H-Hey Ushio!" Yugi said nervously, "Long time no see." Yugi gulped as Ushio glared at him disapprovingly.

"You should look where you're going. Just 'cause you're a shrimp doesn't meant that you can fit through everyone's legs. I think you need to learn a lesson," Ushio growled, showing that he was obviously not a morning person.

"Please, Ushio…" Yugi begged, not sure exactly why he was begging. He hated pleading with bullies but he wasn't built for fighting. He hated violence of any kind which was probably why he was picked on so often.

"We're not in school anymore Motou. Pleading isn't going to help you." Ushio had that evil smirk on his face, the one he always had when he was going to beat the crap out of someone. Yugi recoiled backwards, ripping over a tree root in the process, knowing that he wasn't going to get out of this. He squeezed his eyes shut as the first blow came down. He cried out as one blow after another came into contact with his small, fragile frame. At one point, Yugi heard a crack, telling him that one of his ribs was broken but there was nothing he could do. It wasn't as if Yugi knew how to fight back against the guy.

"Lay another hand on him and I swear I will kill you." Yugi felt his eyes snap open to the sound of his brother's voice cutting into the hell that he had fallen into. He rolled his eyes to the side and caught a glimpse of Atemu dressed all in black, glaring at Ushio with one of the coldest glares Yugi had ever seen. The phrase 'if looks could kill…' ran through his head, redefining its meaning. Yugi had never seen so much hatred in one person's eyes before. Ushio, however, just seemed to think it was funny.

"And what are you going to do midget? I could give you a lesson too once I've finished with this moron right here," Ushio sneered, his smirk still in place. Anger flared up in the depths of hatred in Atemu's eyes as he narrowed them in cold fury.

"I'm warning you, touch Yugi again and I will have no qualms leaving you in an alley for the dogs to feed off of," Atemu growled quietly, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Yugi got the feeling that he was already struggling not to do just that.

"And what are you going to do about it? You're nothing but a twig for me to break." Ushio laughed at his own muscularity. Atemu scowled.

"Well a least I don't have the brain capacity of a five year old." This time, Ushio stiffened in anger. He growled and then suddenly swung a large, meaty fist at Atemu. Yugi cried out at him, trying to tell him to run while he had the chance but realised that Atemu was no longer there. Ushio's fist sailed through air as Atemu ducked down, sending Ushio a blow of his own, a sharp jab in the stomach. Ushio overbalanced, falling to the ground clutching his midriff in a pain. For a moment he lay there and Yugi wondered how Atemu had felled him in only one blow when he rose to his feet, angrier than ever.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Ushio shrieked his eyes wild with rage. Atemu just stood like a tightly coiled spring, waiting for the chance to strike. The next few minutes were a blur of Ushio swinging at Atemu and Atemu dodging while sending back strikes of his own. Finally, Atemu had Ushio pinned to a tree, one of Ushio's arms pulled up towards his shoulder-blades.

"Attempt to move and I'll break your arm," Atemu growled at Ushio, the cold fury still in his voice. Yugi blinked. He had never seen anyone this mad, not even Bakura. Ushio just spat at Atemu.

"You think you're tough? I'll show you how stupid you are! I'll break your stupid little friend into pieces before-" Ushio cried out as Atemu yanked viciously on Ushio's arm. There was an awful snapping noise and Ushio screamed. Atemu had broken his arm in that one movement, but what was more frightening was Atemu's face. There was no regret, only anger. Atemu looked dangerous, like a panther about to move in for the kill.

The moment was broken by the scream of sirens. Yugi realised that a good ten minutes must have passed, enough time for people to see two boys fighting violently in the park and to call the police. And here he was lying on the ground with Atemu standing over him and Ushio writhing on the floor at his brother's feet. And Atemu looking like some sort of hard-core criminal who has seen death so many times that he has lost caring in it. So Yugi wasn't at all surprised when the two police officers jumped out of the car and ploughed his brother to the ground. Atemu struggled, only to cry out as one pulled out a Taser gun, shocking him to unconsciousness. Yugi wasn't aware that he had cried out until the officers turned to him. It was only then that he realised that one was Officer Myette, Ushio's father.

* * *

Yugi had been through many terrible occurrences in life. He had lost his mother, his father and brother hadn't seemed to want anything to do with him and Kaiba Corporation had nearly pushed them to eviction once. But Yugi had never _ever_ been in a police station. Not even when the officers had brought the news of the car crash to their door had Yugi been taken to a police station and Yugi had never been in trouble. Now, he sat opposite a severe-looking woman who looked as she had a permanent scowl, locked in handcuffs to the chair. It was nearly enough to make Yugi cry except he told himself that he nearly sixteen and he would not be seen crying because he had been arrested for something he didn't do. Atemu was sat in the chair next to him, looking as if he hadn't been tasered at all. Yugi wondered how he was managing that.

"You two are in a lot of trouble. You know that, don't you?" Officer Myette had entered the room and relieved the woman of her post. She scowled deeper and rose form the chair.

"They haven't spoken a word Officer," the woman spat, her voice gravelly as she had gargled nails. Yugi winced and looked at his feet. He wasn't sure why they thought that he had done anything wrong since he had been on the floor, but he supposed he had been on the scene. They might have thought that he had been aiding Atemu.

"Now, would you like to tell me why you assaulted my son?" Officer Myette asked in a calm voice although there was an undertone of anger in it. Yugi got the feeling that this man was as nice as his son.

"He was assaulting my brother first. I simply defended Yugi," Atemu said back, just as calmly. Yugi wished that Atemu wouldn't see it that way. They could be charged for bodily assault! They could end up in jail! And Atemu was not only disrespecting an officer, he was also stating that they were related! For all Yugi knew, Officer Myette would take that as them being a team in crime or something.

Officer Myette narrowed his eyes. "My son has never assaulted anyone in his life. He claims that you were attacking unprovoked and the fact that you broke his arm means that I can charge you for grievous bodily harm. Now why don't you start telling me who you are and why you assaulted my son?" Officer Myette shouted, slamming his fist on the table. Yugi winced and he felt Atemu's gaze on him. Yugi had never had anyone but Joey look out for him but Atemu was defending even in this police room which was odd. Then again, Joey had never gotten them arrested.

"My name is Atemu Motou and I _am_ telling you the truth. I followed my brother to the park because he looked troubled and when I caught up with him there was a boy standing over him, beating him to a pulp. I think he broke one of Yugi's ribs. When I told him to leave Yugi alone he insulted me, then came at me with fists so I defended myself." Atemu was looking at Officer Myette with all the pride and majesty of a prince. Suddenly Yugi could imagine him sitting on a throne ruling over people, giving out justice to the cruel and greedy. There was just something about Atemu that screamed royalty. Officer Myette, however, didn't seem to think so. He typed something into the computer, frowned and typed something else. Then he looked away from the computer and back to Atemu with narrowed eyes.

"I can't find you on this system. I have databases on everyone in the world, including some of the remotest people on this planet and your name doesn't come up. It does say that your friend has a brother that lives in Egypt but you're not listed. Now tell me why that is." Officer Myette was smirking like he had just won a hand at poker and Yugi felt Atemu tense in the seat next to him. Yugi was confused. Why did Atemu's name not come up? He had always thought that Motou was their father's surname; however Grandpa's surname was Motou so it seemed that that was not the case. But that still didn't explain why Atemu was a blank on a world database.

"You don't want my full name," Atemu muttered, his eyes suddenly on the floor. Yugi wondered what was so bad about his full name. It couldn't be as bad as Yugi Heba Motou. He didn't have a clue what his middle name even meant!

Officer Myette raised an eyebrow. "Well, I need a name to inform your parent of this charge so he can get the pair of you a lawyer. I'm taking you to court for this assault on my son."

"But he was protecting me!" Yugi cried, speaking up for the first time. He couldn't believe this! His brother had told the officer the truth and yet he still didn't believe them!

"I don't care what you think happened. The fact is that he assaulted my son for no reason and now won't own up to it. So your full name?" Officer Myette looked at Atemu expectantly. Atemu growled and looked at the floor.

"Don't blame me for what you find," he muttered. "It's Atem Yami Sennen Amirmoez El-Amin*." Yugi blinked at all the foreign words, trying to figure out which part was the surname and which part the end of Atemu's names. Officer Myette smiled and typed it into the computer. After a moment his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Yugi watched as the officer's eyes flicked between Atemu, the computer and himself. A long silence stretched out as the officer seemed to recover from whatever it was that he had found.

"Y-You've got to be kidding me!" Officer Myette finally managed, still staring at Atemu as if the world's most famous celebrity was sitting in front of him. Atemu didn't look back at him.

"I thought you were going to call my father," was all he said, his face shadowed by the long blonde locks in front of his face. Officer Myette shook his head and picked up the phone next to his left hand, typing in whatever number he saw on the screen. He then, surprisingly, pressed the speakerphone button. A female voice answered.

"Hello, welcome to Kaiba Corporation, Egypt. How may I help you?" Officer Myette was the one to speak.

"I would like to talk to Akhnankhamun Hekeb Salam El-Amin** please. It's urgent." There was a long pause. Yugi thought he could hear frantic scrabbling and the woman faintly asking a question.

"Please hold one moment sir, while we patch you through," the woman returned faintly, almost as if she didn't get that request very often.

"Why did it go to Kaiba Corp?" Yugi whispered to Atemu. Atemu just shrugged.

"Probably the only way to get in touch with father." Yugi blinked at the way that Atemu had phrased that. Not 'dad'. 'Father'. Was their dad a strict parent? Or did he just insist on formalities?

The phone was suddenly picked up again, this time with by a man with a deep voice full of authority.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Mr El Hakram?" Officer Myette asked his voice slightly shaky as if suddenly aware that he was speaking to someone of importance. Yugi noticed that his face had gone completely white.

"Yes." The voice was terse, impatient. It was clear that their father wasn't happy with getting a call.

"I have your… um… sons with me. They've been caught assaulting a child in a park." Officer Myette seemed to have lost all confidence in himself. There was a long silence, then,

"That doesn't sound like my children. What was the name of their supposed victim?"

"Ushio. Ushio Myette."

"Would I happen to be speaking to Officer Myette?" Officer Myette, if possible, went even paler.

"H-How did you know that?" he practically whispered, suddenly looking terrified.

"I have my sources. Now, let me tell you something. I have been informed in the past that while your son attended Domino High School, he bullied my younger son, Yugi, simply because he was smaller and weaker than you own son. I also happen to know that the University of Japan would not accept his application for joining the police forces in an apprenticeship because of his violent tendencies. Now, I am sure that Atem has informed you of the actual situation by now and I would not like to be contacted on this number again unless in an actually emergency or because of an actual crime committed by my sons!" Officer Myette looked as if he were going to throw up. Yugi wondered who had told his father all of this and where they had gotten the information.

"O-Of course," Officer Myette stuttered. "I-I won't b-bother you again." The phone clicked dead as their father hung up the phone. Atemu just looked at the phone curiously, as if trying to puzzle something out. Officer Myette just shook his head and came round from behind the desk. A moment later Yugi's hands were free and he was able to stand. Officer Myette just gave him a shaky smile as he let Atemu go as well.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you boys," he said as he put the keys back into his pocket. Atemu stood up, massaging his wrists where the cuffs had been put on tightly. "I'll be having words with Ushio later on. You can count on me to make sure this whole mess is cleaned up right." Atemu just raised an eyebrow and Yugi wondered if he was thinking of filing a law suit of his own against the police officer. Yugi just smiled, happy to be able to go.

"I'm sure that's all right. No harm done right?" Yugi said a little nervously. After all, only a few moments ago he had been under arrest. Officer Myette smiled, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"I'll get you a lift home." Officer Myette left and Yugi turned to Atemu.

"Can you believe it? Star treatment home!" Yugi laughed with relief, happy that he wasn't going to end up in jail. Atemu just looked at the floor and made a noncommittal noise. Yugi frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Atemu murmured. "I had just hoped that I would be able to live a little normally for once."

"Oh." Yugi looked at the floor himself suddenly realising that Atemu had probably had the star treatment all the time. The old hatred flared up again but for once it was slightly muted. Atemu didn't look happy at being treated. In fact, he looked as if he wished for anything other than the attention they were getting. Not that his looks hadn't already gotten him noticed.

Silence reigned in the room as they waited for Officer Myette to return. Yugi wanted to talk to Atemu, a sudden need to understand his twin rising in him for the first time however he didn't know how to breach the subject. Atemu was always so quiet when the conversation turned to talk of his homeland. Watching him now, Yugi noticed how uncomfortable Atemu looked. He had obviously never been in a police station either and he probably had never been tasered before. He was rubbing his shoulder, where the electric shock had entered him body and Yugi felt a stab of pity. Being tasered was probably as horrible as it looked and Atemu had only been trying to protect him after all.

The door suddenly opened and the woman with the gravelly voice was back. "There's a car to take you up to Kaiba Corp," the woman said, before leaving again. Yugi blinked. Why on earth would they be going to Kaiba Corp? Atemu looked just as startled, his eyes wide in shock. Well, it was nice to know that something could shock his brother but Yugi was too shocked himself to take any pleasure from his brother's face.

"Why do we need to go to Kaiba Corp? Can't we just go home?" Yugi asked out loud but Atemu just shook his head.

"I don't know," was all he said before following the woman out of the door.

* * *

*** Ok, I mean no one in the world offense with these names. Mostly I made them up, but I did research Arab names on Google if they mean anything offensive to people. I live in England, so if I have done something offensive just tell me and I'll change it. I know how Google can sometimes give you weird results.**

**** Yeah, same thing really except almost all of Akhnankhamun's names are made up by me other than his surname.**

**So moving away from things that I hope are not evil to the rest of the world, I just want to say thank you to the people who reviewed and that things will be explained the further into this story we go! Ok, answers.**

**Lady Fai: Yes, Yugi will like Atem by the end of this story. Cute fluffy chapters up ahead (some very soon) although there will be some tension between their bond at one point.**

**CrimsonStrawberry17: I love how you always review every chapter. I find that very considerate of you. The thief court has a purpose in this story but I don't want to give too much away about it because it's supposed to be secret! I'll just say for now that it's an organisation set up and run by Bakura and will have an important part to play in the story later on. As for where their allegiances lie... pretty much anyone's guess. :)**

**Guest: I'm very sorry for the typo but I can't find it, even after reading the chapter through three times! You have keener eyes than me! As for whether Tea is in this story... I'm not really sure. I've got most of this story planned out in my head (for a change) but she doesn't really feature in it apart from scattered mentions here and there. I know a lot of people like her but I just find it hard to write a character who to me seems so... bland. Even Tristan doesn't get much of a mention in this story. She'll probably feature about as much as Tristan does, which isn't much. Sorry.**

**If anyone else has any questions I have to qualms answering them. I hope these might clear some stuff up for anyone else who might have similar questions.**

**Next chapter isn't as exciting as this one although it does feature Seto Kaiba and Mokuba for the first time (and kind of explains their roles in this story).**

**Please carry on reviewing! I was happy about the extra reviews this time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I've just been reading some of my later chapters and one of them really relates to me at this time. This is really just me distracting myself than actually waiting for reviews. waking up at half five this morning to find that my dad's been in a car accident is not the best way to wake up but you probably didn't need to know that (this sin't attention seeking this is venting).**

**Anyway moving away from my private life and troubles thanks for all those who reviewed and read this story. I actually really like this chapter for some reason.**

* * *

Seto Kaiba was a busy man and had many things to worry about. He ran the entire company of Kaiba Corporation from Japan all the way to Australia and Britain. There were braches in nearly every country and Kaiba ran them all. He spent much of his time organising events from charity dinners to Duel Monsters championships to theme park openings and he was helped a great deal by his genius thirteen year-old brother Mokuba. It was little known that the pair was only half-brothers and that Mokuba was only related to Seto on their mother's side but the pair had grown up together and ignored this. Then again, Seto himself was only eighteen and had been the youngest CEO the world had ever seen. He had taken over the company at the age of fourteen and had been taking regular trips to Egypt since then for reasons known only to him.

And Seto Kaiba was having a really bad day.

It had started out all right. He had been organising a charity event to raise money for Domino's orphanages so that they could all have the proper facilities needed to raise children. His events co-ordinators however were not coming up with any great ideas and he was being pestered by Domino High school for the fact that a certain annoying Egyptian thief hadn't turned up to his extra lessons of the day. After shipping Bakura off to his numerous detentions he had just settled down to have a relaxing lunch with his younger brother when the phone rang. After being shouted at for being lax in his duties (and grumbling to himself that his cousin was not under his control in the first place), Kaiba had sent his own private limo to the Domino police station. Mokuba had looked at him in confusion when he flopped into the couch in a very un-elegant manner and massaged his temples.

"Is it really that bad?" Mokuba asked over the top of his laptop. Seto guessed that he was working on whatever assignment his private tutor had given him and just nodded.

"I can feel a headache coming on and it isn't even midday yet," he muttered, eyeing the food on the table. He had meant to eat with Mokuba and play a couple of games before heading out on a private flight to America to sort through some problems for the championship that was occurring there. Now, there would be no such plans, all of them gone to pot after that phone call.

"Who wanted you on the phone?" Mokuba asked, closing the laptop.

"My uncle. Apparently my cousin got himself arrested." Mokuba's eyes widened.

"What did he do?" Seto shrugged, wondering if he would have time to eat at least a snack before he arrived.

"Don't know. Don't care. He'll be here any minute." Mokuba's eyes lit up. Every year Mokuba would pester him to let him go to Egypt with him and every year Seto felt wretched as he shot him down. Mokuba was desperate to meet Seto's cousin, one of the few people that he wasn't related to, but Seto knew he couldn't take Mokuba to Egypt. It was too dangerous for him and Seto would kill himself if Mokuba were to get hurt while they were there. He wasn't too fond of his uncle but he was even less fond of his father.

Roland suddenly walked in with a nod to Seto Kaiba. "Mr Kaiba, they've arrived."

"Send them in," Seto said waving Roland away. Roland was the Kaiba's… everything. He was Mokuba's tutor, Seto's secretary and their head of security. If Seto forgot something, Roland would be there with the information required or the reminder of something that needed done. He helped to organise the smaller people who Seto had no time to see and the man still found time to entertain Mokuba when he was bored. Seto would never admit it but he was rather fond of Roland.

A moment later Roland was back leading two very similar boys with him. Seto felt an eyebrow twitch but sat up, knowing that looking undignified in front of strangers only made them think that you were more human. To Seto that was unacceptable. Atem might be able to get away with it but he would never be able to. After all, to the world he looked like some sort of orphan got lucky to the rich entrepreneurs. Seto couldn't let his reputation fade because Atem brought his pesky brother along with him.

"I was told only you were involved," Seto snapped at Atem as Roland left. Mokuba just sat staring at Atem with interest while the smaller version of Atem looked around nervously. Seto noticed that he looked more Japanese than Atem did, probably why he had never noticed him until now. Seto knew his name too. Yugi Motou. Who knew he would turn out to be Atem's twin?

Atem raised that annoying eyebrow and looked at Seto impassively. "I didn't expect you to be involved." Seto growled. They might be cousins but this was _his_ turf.

"Your father was on the phone, _shouting_ at me because _you_ got yourself arrested because _you_ couldn't reign in your temper! So don't think that you're blameless in this!" Seto practically shouted. Atem's face remained the same although his eyes did drift towards his brother slightly. Seto realised with a jolt that Yugi knew about as much as Mokuba did, perhaps even less. He was staring at Seto in alarm, as if shocked that they knew each other let alone were on speaking terms. Seto pulled his own temper in and let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I've got bigger things to worry about than getting you out of trouble."

"Oh, I think father handled that all right by himself." There was a bitter sarcasm to Atem's voice and Seto got the feeling that he had been witness to the conversation between the officer and Akhnankhamun. Well, he was a rather intimidating man and it made Seto wonder how Atem was able to live with him.

"Of that, I have no doubt." Seto was struck by a sudden thought. "What was the officer's face like?" A smirk appeared on Atem's face.

"Priceless."

"Um…" Seto turned his gaze towards Yugi, who instantly turned red at the attention. "How do you two know each other?" _Great_ Seto thought. _He's clueless_.

"We happen to be cousins' moron," Seto snapped and Atem shot him a look as Yugi flinched. Seto got the feeling that something else was going on and decided to go down a different track. "What happened?"

"An idiot thought he could beat me up. He also attacked Yugi." Seto could feel the anger radiating off of Atem about this and winced in sympathy for the idiot who took Atem on. Even Seto knew that that was stupid and he also knew that Atem, however charming he could be, was dangerous if you were caught harming anyone close to him let alone his own flesh and blood.

"Well, that was dumb," Seto muttered and turned to Yugi. "Were you hurt?" Yugi blinked in shock and then winced a little as he gingerly took a seat. The poor kid looked exhausted and was also eyeing up the food table.

"I think Ushio broke one of my ribs," he murmured, eyes still on the table. Seto got the feeling that he had skipped breakfast.

"Help yourself to lunch. I'll tell Roland to fetch the doctor. You might as well stay here for now. Mokuba, keep our guests entertained!" With that Seto got up and left, only just hearing his brother's, "Sure thing, bro!" before heading down the corridor back to his office. It looked as if he would be missing out on lunch after all.

* * *

Yugi was in shock. He couldn't believe that he was sitting here, in Seto Kaiba's private quarters no less, being invited to eat lunch and be looked after by Kaiba's private doctor. Not to mention the bombshell that they were related. The boy on the other end of the couch had put down his laptop and was eagerly leaning forward, talking to Atemu.

"So you're really Atem? I've been looking forward to meeting you!" the boy was saying, swinging his short legs back and forth, just scraping the floor with his shoes. Yugi grabbed an apple off the table and gingerly took a bite. His stomach growled, letting him know that he had skipped breakfast and he found himself devouring the apple rapidly, feeling a lot like Joey.

Atemu was just smiling at the boy and nodding. "Yes, I am. I've heard a lot about you too Mokuba."

"Really?"

"Yes. You're brother keeps telling me how insistent you are on coming to Egypt." The boy- Mokuba- flushed but didn't stop talking.

"What's Egypt like? What's Seto's father like?" Yugi was surprised by the question, thinking that that was rather awkward. Atemu looked a little conflicted too, as if unsure of how to answer correctly.

"Egypt is great, I suppose. A lot hotter than this place at any rate." Mokuba laughed.

"I suppose that's why you're wearing a jacket when it's the height of summer outside!" Atemu laughed as well, but his face became serious again in a moment.

"As for your other question… you'll have to ask your brother." Mokuba looked crestfallen.

"I have. He won't say a word to me about it. He barely talks about Egypt in the first place and if he does it's normally to complain of the lack of conventional sense." Atemu suddenly burst into laughter at that, his face split into a real smile for once, not just a smirk. Yugi wished he could do that to Atemu. It made Atemu's face light up and he looked younger than normal. Sometimes it was hard to remember that they were the same age.

"Well, he wouldn't be wrong," Atemu chuckled, reaching forward and taking an apple. Yugi had already moved on to the sandwiches which were delicious. Mokuba smiled and turned towards him.

"So, you must Atem's brother right?" Mokuba asked with a smile. Yugi blinked one sandwich half-way to his mouth.

"Err… yeah. I am," Yugi said confused in Mokuba's interest in him. In fact he was confused to everyone's interest in him. Why was it only now that people thought that there was something special about him but before wouldn't say a thing?

"I'm sorry if we caused you trouble in the past," Mokuba said. "We didn't know who you were then."

"You didn't?" Yugi was really confused by now. It was clear that there was something that Atemu had forgotten to mention when moving to Japan.

"No! Seto only found out that _his_ father was still alive like five years ago! And then he didn't find out that he had cousins till four years ago! It's not really a conventional system if you ask me!" Mokuba seemed a lot friendlier than his brother although Yugi was slightly confused to all the references to _his_ father.

"Um… what happened to your parents?" Yugi asked. Mokuba blinked, looking taken aback. "I'm sorry!" Yugi cried, suddenly realising how rude that sounded. "I didn't mean to pry or anything!"

"No, it's ok," Mokuba sent him a smile as he said it. "It's just… no one's ever asked that to me before. They just ask why my brother looks nothing like Gozeboro and leaves it at that. My parents are dead. Our mom died in a car crash and my dad died of cancer about three years ago. He couldn't look after me or Seto so he gave us to an orphanage a couple of years after mum's death. That was when he knew he was dying." Mokuba was looking at the floor and Yugi felt great sympathy for him. After all, his own mother died in a car crash too.

"My mum died in a car crash. I've never met my father. I'm sorry about your dad." Mokuba smiled at Yugi as if looking at a new friend.

"You're a good person Yugi. But, um… I hope you don't mind me asking… how comes you've never met your father?" Mokuba asked, his eyes shining with that childhood innocence that Yugi had once had before all this had started.

"The same reason why your brother doesn't take you to Egypt," Atemu said shortly, causing Yugi to jump. He had almost forgotten that he was there, considering he had been so quiet. Mokuba blinked in surprise but before he could ask anything the door opened and Seto walked in followed by a man in a long white coat.

"The doctor's here to see you. Atem, I need to talk to you before you leave." With that Seto walked out of the room. Atemu hesitated a moment before glancing back at Yugi as the doctor made his way over to him and then making his way out of the room. Yugi wondered why his brother was so worried about him and why his father had never come to see him. What had Atemu meant, 'the same reason your brother doesn't take you to Egypt'? There wasn't anything dangerous in Egypt was there?

* * *

Sometimes Atemu really wished his cousin wasn't so egotistical. That way he might be able to keep Yugi from asking too many questions about dangerous areas. After the incident with the park that morning, he had been hoping to avoid all contact with anyone who knew his father. In fact, he had been hoping that his father would have abruptly forgotten the call from the police officer the moment he had gotten off the phone. Not that Atemu had known that his father owned a piece of modern technology. This was starting to get weirder by the minute, the further he plunged into this world. Perhaps it would be better to just stay inside…

Atemu winced as his right shoulder bumped against the wall from the Taser attack that morning. He hadn't been aware that such things existed until now and the fact that it had happened so suddenly hadn't helped. It had taken all his willpower not to strike out defensively with the shadows before losing unconsciousness and somehow, it still was. He could feel them roiling under his skin, still alive with the angry energy they had taken from him that morning when he had seen that oaf beating up his brother. Atemu hated discrimination more than he hated people taking the micky out of him for his height. Just because he was short, didn't mean that he couldn't look after himself.

Seto was waiting for him in the office, glaring at the door. Atemu knew what was coming; it was like being back at home after his father had found out that he had slipped away again. Sometimes it felt more like the palace was a prison than a home.

"So," Seto started, "would you like to tell me why you felt the need to break someone's arm in Japan?" Atemu knew the icy cold tone meant that Seto was saving his rant for later. That or he would leave to punch the wall outside and return nursing a swollen hand.

"As I told you, some oaf was beating up my brother. I simply avenged him."

"By breaking his arm?"

"He broke Yugi's ribs," Atemu shot back, annoyed at how Seto seemed to take his answers as some kind of insult. It wasn't as if he had broken Seto's arm. Again.

"This is Japan, not Egypt! That boy was Officer Myette's son! You were lucky to get off without a warning let alone jail! How could you be so stupid! I thought you were supposed to be smart!" Ah, so there was the rant. When Seto started ranting it took a lot for him to calm down and start thinking things through rationally again. Normally, Atemu would walk away and avoid Seto until he had calmed down but the problem now was that he was in Seto's house, in a foreign neighbourhood. He didn't have the slightest clue as to how to get home.

"I know he was Officer Myette's son. He wouldn't believe my end of the story until he saw my name or talked to my father," Atemu said quietly, hoping to get back to Yugi before anything else happened. Yugi seemed to be a magnet for trouble at the moment.

"He wasn't very happy about that. Even less so to hear that not only was his eldest son involved, but that his youngest son was too! Do you know who gets blamed for this stuff?" Seto was too calm, a deadly calm like the cobras that waited in the trees in the gardens back home. One bite and you would be dead. Atemu knew, considering he had nearly died of their venom once when he was six and hadn't been in Egypt very long. He hadn't stayed a child for long.

"You do," Atemu said evenly, looking Seto in the eyes. "And yet had it been Mokuba you would have done the same thing."

"Don't bring Mokuba into this," Seto growled.

"Then don't bring Yugi into it either!" Atemu shouted. "Do you know how hard it is to see him and know that because he knows nothing he's in more danger than the pair of us together? I have to look out for him as much as I have to look out for myself and Japan is no less safe than Egypt! He just doesn't know it! So don't tell me how much trouble I'm in for pulling attention to myself! I already know!" Seto was looking slightly shocked and placed a hand on either side of the desk, using this to push himself to his feet.

"Atem," his said quietly, all fury gone from his voice. "Calm down. Put the shadows away." Atemu looked at his hand, startled to find it glowing with black tendrils of energy. He hadn't lost control of them for so long… but here they felt more powerful than back home.

"I…" For once, Atemu was out of words. What was he supposed to say? I'm sorry? But he didn't even know what was happening. "I don't know what happened."

"Now normally I would make a sarcastic joke about that but I know you. You've never lost your control over the shadows before in my watch. What happened?"

"I just said, I don't know. It's almost as if my power is amplified here or something…" Atemu trailed off, unsure of what to say. Seto seemed to be a deep thought.

"Do you think it has something to do with Yugi?" Atemu blinked in surprise at the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Your powers. How long have they seemed amplified to you?"

"I don't know. I haven't tried to reach for them until today." Seto still looked thoughtful.

"And today you've been defending your brother. I'd say that he amplifies your powers without getting your soul dragged to the shadow realm which probably explains both why your brother was left behind in Japan and why your father never let you visit. He'd have to be pretty powerful too," Seto said looking smug at having worked something out quicker than Atemu for once. Atemu frowned and looked at his hands. If that were true… he shuddered to think how many magicians would be able to track him. In certain ways this made him a beacon but he was halfway across the world to his uncle. The only people who might be able to track him that way in Japan were both on his side.

"Yugi can't know. If he does…"

"He'll be in danger," Seto said quietly, lacing his fingers together in front of his face. "You have my word that I won't say anything to Yugi. But I think you need to start considering explaining at least something of the problem to him. Ignorance can only get him so far." Atemu bit his lip, hating to concede that Seto was right but also hating the fact that his brother was in mortal danger. Why was it always him who had to make the hard decisions?

* * *

**Do you know how hard it is to try and meld two characters together? As you've probably realized I'm trying to make Priest Seto (or Seth, whatever people call him) and Seto Kaiba the same person which is _really_ hard considering one of them is an egotistical asshole (but we all like him anyway) and the other s kind and considerate. So trying to make tow conflicting characters meld together is actually the hardest part of this story. Just making that clear in case anyone's like 'but Seto Kaiba's not like that!' later on.**

**I only really have one review to answer to since i only had one review but I'll still do it anyway. Thank you CrimsonStrawberry17 for reviewing this again! Really making this shit day a little better!**

**Anyway...**

**CrimsonStrawberry17: Thanks for the information on Ushio's name and sorry that i missed that. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of reading the manga and they don't really explain that in the English dub of the anime. If they mentioned it in the Japanese original I've probably been really unobservant and missed it which they probably did. As for Atem's name, that was just me being like 'I feel like giving you a long name'. I don't know if it's typical of Arabs. And Akhnankhamun's names (which you are probably getting annoyed that I don't spell it like they do in the Japanese manga) _were_ all made up. I just researched some Arab surnames on the internet because I felt like I might offend someone if I just made it up off the top of my head and I felt that he needed a surname for the whole police thing to work. Otherwise he would still be plain old Pharaoh Akhnankhaum (as for the way I spell his name, before you ask, it's just the way I think the Ancient Egyptians would have spelt it. More of a preference than ignorence. Sorry if it annoys you!).**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm warning people now, before you even read this chapter (and if you miss this don't blame me) is pure fluff. Literally. There might be about 500 words, give or take, that are not pure fluffiness in this chapter. Not much actually happens but I still love it all the same.**

**Right, with that over with on with the story.**

**ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE BOTTOM**

* * *

_Yugi was dreaming, of that he was fairly sure. He was standing in a huge room that was bare apart from the single bed in the centre of the room by the wall. The room was carved from blocks of golden-leaf covered mud-bricks with a design of lotus flowers bordering the walls in the style of the Ancient Egyptians. The only difference here was the fact that the paint was new not crumbling to dust._

_All of a sudden a boy rushed in through the open doorway. Yugi blinked. The boy looked just like how Atem might have looked at the age of six, with short spikey hair (the way that Yugi's hair spiked when he cut it short because it wouldn't stay down) and wide innocent crimson eyes. He was dressed in a sort of ancient tunic which originally had been pure white. Now it was stained a sandy colour, probably from playing outside. A small golden collar was around his neck and the boy was giggling madly. He rushed around to the other side of the bed and out of sight from the doorway._

_A man suddenly entered the room, his eyes alight with happiness. He was taller than Yugi (although that wasn't hard) but perhaps not quite as tall as Joey. He had brown hair that fell to his shoulders, the first signs of grey showing through and serious grey eyes. He was also wearing a white tunic and had a purple robe thrown over the top. A golden pendent rested around his neck, looking a lot like an upside-down pyramid with an eye carved into it._

_The man seemed to catch sight of the boy and a smile crept onto his face. He then turned away from the bed and began to pace the room, scratching his head, one eye still on the corner where the little boy was hiding._

"_Hmmm… I wonder where Atem went," the man said playfully, in the manner that adults had when playing with young children. The little boy, Atemu Yugi realised, giggled, hunkering down further. The man's smile widened into a smirk that Yugi had seen plenty of times on Atemu's own face. "Is he on the balcony?" The man made a show of looking out onto the balcony which showed an elaborate garden below and then shook his head. "No? Well… what about in the dressing room?" The man made another show of going into a side room, steadily moving closer to the little boy who was giggling again. Yugi found himself laughing, enjoying this little episode between Atemu and a man who he presumed was his father. Not that Yugi believed that this little boy was actually Atemu. No one dressed like that anymore._

"_I know!" the man snapped his fingers, his smirk back in full force. By now he was standing right by the foot of the bed and he was looking at it as if planning something. It reminded Yugi of all the times Joey had played pranks on him. "He must be… behind the bed!" Atemu gave a shriek of laughter and attempted to run from the man who scooped him up off the floor and swung him onto the bed. He then carried on to tickle Atemu who laughed further, squirming to be free._

"_Mercy daddy! Mercy!" Atemu cried his accent strangely muddled. Yugi was used to the Arabic lilt in his voice at the moment but here it was like he hadn't quite got the hang of it yet. As if he hadn't been living there all his life._

"_Shall I, the pharaoh of all the land, grant mercy upon this prisoner of mine?" the man said, rising up to look down on Atemu. The smile was still on his face._

"_Yes!" Atemu shrieked laughing as his father swung him onto his lap._

"_All right then," he said, smiling fondly at him. "What do you want to do now?" Atemu seemed to consider this._

"_Play a board game!" he cried, wriggling off of his father's lap. He ran into another room and returned holding a board which was roughly the size of a folded monopoly board. The man smiled and took it from the child, pulling out a drawer and setting up the pieces._

"_Ok, which do you want to be? The hippos or the hedgehogs?" Atemu didn't even seem to consider._

"_The hedgehogs!" The man smiled and began to set up the board. However at that moment a man ran into the room dressed only in a kilt and a headdress. He was holding a spear and his eyes were wild._

"_My pharaoh, there has been a breach in security! Soldiers are on their way here!" the man cried, looking to Atemu's father desperately. Yugi felt dread curl in his stomach as the king rose from the bed and put the pieces back into the board._

"_Atem," he said his voice suddenly deadly serious. "Put the board back where you found it and then hide under the bed until I tell you it is safe." Atemu just looked confused._

"_But- " _

"_NOW Atem!" Atemu flinched at the power in his father's voice and scurried away with the board. A moment later he was back and crawling under the bed. Yugi thanked the fact that he was so small as he dived under the bed with him. He didn't want to find out who these soldiers were._

_Yugi watched as the two men left, hearing nothing but Atemu's quick breathing next to him. He could tell that the boy was confused and scared as to his father's sudden change in moods. A long time, perhaps an hour seemed to stretch out, before anything seemed to happen. In that time there had been the faint sound of shouting and even the odd scream of a child or woman. Atemu was now on the verge of hyperventilating, his eyes now wide with fear rather than excitement. Then, four men burst into the room._

_The men were shouting and what appeared to be blood dripped to the floor. They paced back and forth, three men against one, and all of a sudden there was a horrible squelching sound and Yugi suddenly found himself face to face with a pair of wide staring eyes. He heard Atemu's breath hitch as they watched the blood drip from a gaping wound in the man's throat. More feet entered the room, more men fell to the floor and finally it all seemed to become too much for Atemu. As the third man fell to the floor, he let loose a terrible scream…_

Yugi woke to the sound of his brother crying out. He sat bolt upright in bed, the imprint of those wide eyes staring back at him still stuck behind his eyelids. The halls were silent now but Yugi heard the sound of Grandpa's light snapping on. Someone got out of bed and Yugi heard Grandpa's shuffling steps moving down the hall. Yugi crawled out of his own bed and pulled his door open a crack and peeped out. He glimpsed Atemu sitting bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily and Grandpa sitting next to him talking to him quietly. By the looks of things, Atemu hadn't been having the best of dreams either.

Yugi sighed and quietly closed the door again. For a moment he had been tempted to go and find out what was wrong but he got the feeling that there was nothing he could do. And anyway, it wasn't as if Atemu would tell him anything even if he did. He seemed to be keeping everything of importance from Yugi.

The whole afternoon of the previous day had been spent with the Kaiba's, Seto Kaiba having dropped everything to spend the afternoon with them, including a business trip to America. Yugi got the feeling that their father was something to do with that. Atemu had been quiet the whole afternoon, only speaking when spoken to. He had been silent the whole trip home and had gone straight to his room the moment they had gotten home. Yugi had thought that Grandpa would scold them when they returned but he only spared a sad look in Atemu's direction before asking Yugi how his afternoon with his newly found cousin had gone. Well, Yugi wasn't sure how he felt about Seto but he was sure that he definitely liked Mokuba, even if they weren't related.

Not that Yugi had been complacent. After rigorously interrogating his grandfather as to why he had never known that the Kaiba's were his cousins, his grandfather had simply gotten that sad look on his face again and replied with, "It wasn't something you needed to know." Yugi wouldn't admit it but he was scared. Ever since Atemu had come to Japan, there had been nothing but trouble in his life. He had started to discover that the world he lived in wasn't real, that even his own grandfather, whom he had thought he could count on through anything, was hiding secrets from him. He had heard his father for the first time in over ten years and he hadn't even spoken to him! It was like the entire planet had turned upside-down and he wasn't sure exactly how to put it back together again.

"Are you sure?" It was his grandfather, probably leaving Atemu's room considering his voice was a little louder. Yugi didn't hear his brother's reply but it must have been the affirmative as his grandfather shuffled back to his room. Yugi peeked out of his door once he heard Grandpa's light click off. Then he slipped down the hall towards Atemu's room.

Yugi had yet to enter Atemu's room, having never had reason to enter the spare room before. It had always been clear that the room was meant to be used for something as Yugi had always shared with his mother while she was alive. He remembered asking her why she didn't sleep in the spare room but all she had answered with was that she couldn't bring herself to leave her only son alone in the night. Yugi now wondered if that was true. Had even his own mother been lying to him? It was a disturbing thought and one that Yugi wished he could throw off.

Atemu was still sitting up in bed, the duvet tossed aside, staring out of the window. A shaft of moonlight entered the room through a gap in the curtains and Yugi could make out the moon through it. It bleached the colour out of the room but Yugi could still see that it was meticulously tidy, as if no one stayed there. Yugi had thought that Atemu might have brought something, anything, to remind him of Egypt but there was nothing. The bedside table was empty, the desk bare of anything personal. It was as if someone had just packed all the essentials and Atemu had left Egypt behind him, hoping to lose the memories.

"Are you all right?" Yugi asked quietly, hovering in the doorway. He still wasn't sure how to act around his brother but he was warming up to him slightly. Even hearing the tone of their father's voice had made Yugi wonder if Atemu's childhood had actually been all that great. _I would not like to be contacted on this number again unless in an actual emergency…_ The words might have been sugar-coated but they were harsh like knives. Atemu hadn't even reacted, his eyes staying on the floor of the police station. What kind of father wouldn't want to be contacted by his own sons?

Atemu turned to look at him in the darkness and for a moment, Yugi saw that his eyes were wide, almost in a mirror of his dream. Yugi remembered the little boy screaming as the dead men's faces stared at him and shuddered. He was glad it was just a dream.

"Yugi! I didn't realise…" Atemu trailed off, looking ashamed. Yugi felt guilty that his brother wouldn't talk to him and moved further into the room.

"It's ok. You didn't wake me up. I had a nightmare too." Yugi wasn't sure why he was disclosing that to Atemu- it wasn't as if he would care- but he felt happier saying it. This was what brothers, twins, were supposed to do. They both would be sixteen in a few weeks and suddenly Yugi wanted Atemu to be there with him, celebrating their birthday like they were five years old again and nothing had gone wrong in their lives. Atemu smiled up at him, a real smile, and patted the side of the bed.

"What was it about?" he asked when Yugi had sat next to him. Yugi shrugged, putting it off as something he couldn't remember. He didn't want his brother to worry about him considering he wasn't having the most pleasant night of his life either. Then Yugi surprised himself.

"Can I stay here with you?" he asked, looking up at his brother's face. For the first time since he had arrived, Yugi didn't curse the fact that Atemu was taller than he was. It felt more like they were older brother and younger brother rather than arguing twins. He wasn't even sure why he had been angry in the first place. Atemu gave him another smile and nodded.

"Of course." Silence stretched out a moment.

"Atemu?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Yugi didn't have any more nightmares for the rest of the night. In fact, all his worries had slipped away for those few hours in Atemu's room.

* * *

Solomon was curious as to why it was so quiet when he awoke that morning. After he had been woken by Atemu crying out, he had been worried that the poor boy wouldn't go back to sleep. It seemed like something he would do, too stubborn to admit that he was frightened. Solomon was sure that the nightmare was in remembrance of something horrible from his childhood, but he didn't want to pry. If Atemu didn't want to tell him, then that was fine. It would be almost cruel to try and get answers out of him.

Solomon decided to see whether Yugi had been disturbed by the night's events only to find that Yugi's room was empty. Frowning, Solomon searched through the house, unable to find Yugi anywhere. Finally, he stood outside Atemu's room, wishing that he could do anything other than disturb the poor boy. He deserved to get some sleep after last night and it wasn't fair to wake him up after that.

The sight that met Solomon when he opened the door caused him to freeze in the doorway. And then to smile. Yugi was curled up against his brother's chest, snoring softly, looking very peaceful. Even Atemu, who was holding Yugi close, looked more at peace than Solomon had ever seen him. In fact, they both looked happy, a single stream of sunlight lighting their faces like sleeping angels. Solomon smiled softly and then quietly closed the door again, leaving the pair to sleep.

* * *

Joey couldn't remember a day when he had wanted to talk to Yugi more. His sister had called that morning, wanting to talk to him, only to find their already drunk father on the other end of the phone. After wrangling the phone out of the man's hands (and gaining a few new bruises to boot) he had finally managed to talk to Serenity, only to find that she had called to tell him that she needed an operation. An operation to save her eyesight which they couldn't afford. Joey had felt his stomach drop and even the sound of his father raving in the background had fallen away.

Serenity was going blind. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He needed to talk to Yugi desperately, needed someone to listen, maybe even to help. He needed to get money fast, his part-time job in the mechanics' no longer enough to keep his family happy. It didn't matter that most of his wages went on the running of the house, the mortgage and bills while the rest fuelled his father's drinking problems. He had just been able to scrape a living, able to have good friends who made him forget the troubles in his life. Now his sister was never going to see him again and he couldn't stand that. Serenity was everything to him. If she wasn't happy then everything that he was doing wasn't worth it.

And he had thought that life couldn't get any worse than it already was.

When he arrived at the Game shop he found it closed and locked. He frowned and banged on the door, not in the mood to attempt to even sound pleasant.

"Hey Mr Motou!" he shouted. "It's me! Joey! I need to talk to Yugi!" There was no answer. Joey swore and banged on the door again, scowling at the closed sign. This had never happened before and Joey, surprisingly, cursed Atemu for arriving for the first time. Joey had nothing against the boy –he hadn't really spoken to him much- but he really needed to speak to Yugi and he guessed that he was stopping him.

Joey's eyes caught sight of a window above the game shop and an idea caught. Quickly, he stooped down and scooped up some pebbles. Preying that he wouldn't cause the Motou's to have to pay for a new window, he pulled him arm back and threw the first pebble.

* * *

**Ok, I will admit that Joey's bit was just to set up a plot point in the next chapter.**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: I'm sorry if the bold capital lettering annoys you but it's so that I don't get any annoying people sending me messages shouting 'UPDATE' without reading. Next week I will be going on a kind of work experiency kind of thing (I'm not saying what) which will mean that I won't have much a) writing time or b) updating time. So if this and the rest of my stories go very quiet for a few weeks this is where I will be. I will try to update as often as I can but don't count on regular stuff (not that I am a regular updater).**

**So moving away from that thanks to everyone who reviewed and read this. It really makes me happy when people review but I can't complain really.**

**So moving swiftly on...**

**Magical Guest: Thank you for your review. The irony of what you asked is that Mahad turns up (or is mentioned) in the next chapter and then turns up in it for a bit. I'm trying to write Mana into this because she is part of this story (mainly because she's obviously one of Atem's friends) and because I love her. So yeah, she will turn up at some point, I just haven't got to her bit yet. As for In a Time of Ignorence I will be continuing that but it's kind of taken a back seat to this, Court of Emrys and The War of the Wizards (which is literally one chapter away from completion). It will be completed though! Along with all the other stories I've promised people I will update/finish/actually repost... It will happen at some point.**

**CrimsonStraberry17: I know you didn't ask anything of me this time, I just wanted to give you a special thank you because I have never come across anyone who reviews every chapter. I wish there were more people out there like you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**You know I have no idea what happens in this chapter which is weird cos I only proof read/spell-checked this yesterday. I think I'm still recovering from seeing The Tempest today at The Globe. If you haven't seen it (if you live anywhere near London) I recommend going to see it because it is AMAZING! I want to go see it again!**

**Anyway, that has nothing to do with Yugioh, nor this story. I think there's some fluff in this, but I think it's mainly serious but there's definite fluff in the next chapter.**

* * *

Atemu woke to the sound of pebbles hitting the window. He groaned and rubbed a hand across his eyes, surprised to find his other arm underneath something warm and heavy. Atemu looked down briefly to discover Yugi, sound asleep, snuggled under the covers with him. It took a few moments to remember the night before, the terrible dream, Grandpa's visit and then Yugi coming into the room. He smiled at the memory but his good mood didn't last long. Another rattle came from the window and Atemu growled softly wishing whoever it was would go away.

The window suddenly blew out in a curl of black tendrils and sharp shards of glittering glass. Atemu let out a yelp and sat up straight, desperate to drag the uncontrollable shadows back to where they belonged. Unfortunately his sudden movement caused Yugi to stir.

"Wha…?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Atemu bit his lip wondering how on earth he was going to explain the blown window. What was he supposed to say? That the window broke by itself? Thankfully, whoever had been throwing rocks at his window wouldn't be able to annoy him anymore.

Atemu shivered as a breeze blew through the shattered window, reminding him that he wasn't in Egypt anymore for the third time. Yugi, having gathered together his wits again, hopped out of the bed and over to the window, looking down. Atemu thanked the gods that the window had blown outwards and not inwards, otherwise Yugi might have had shredded feet by now.

"Joey!" Yugi shouted out the window. "Why are you throwing rocks? You broke the window!"

"I swear that was not me!" was the reply and Atemu internally cursed. His grandfather was sure to guess that this was his fault although there was no way that he could prove it. "I need to talk to you!" Joey shouted up at the window as well. Atemu sighed and left the warmth of his bed as Yugi replied to him.

"So why were you throwing rocks at Atemu's window?" Atemu reached the window in time to see Joey's shocked expression. He sent him a cheery wave which the blonde returned a little nervously. Atemu got the feeling that Joey was wary of him because of his friendship with Bakura. That and they hadn't exactly gotten off to a great start either.

"Sorry!" Joey shouted up, whether to him or Yugi, Atemu wasn't sure. Yugi just sighed and turned away from the window.

"I suppose I should go and let him in." Yugi paused and eyed the broken window. "And tell Grandpa we need a new pane of glass in here." Atemu cringed, thinking of the trouble he was going to get in for that.

As Yugi disappeared to go and let his friend in Atemu began to get ready for the day. Whoever had packed his case clearly had little knowledge of him, only knowing his size, as there seemed to be a little of every style in the bag. Atemu left some of the brighter coloured clothes in the bag, offended by their bright colours that attacked his eyes that morning, and pulled out crimson shirt and a pair of dark coloured jeans. He paused to also grab one of the buckled accessories to hide the golden collar around his neck. Sometimes he wished that he could take the bands off, but they were permanently there now and he wasn't able to get them off without great difficulty and it wasn't really worth it.

Once he was dressed, Atemu descended the stairs to find Joey sprawled on the couch, his head in his hands. Anxiety curled in Atemu's stomach as he wondered what was going on. Yugi looked slightly shocked and sympathetic while Grandpa was nowhere to be seen. The smell of breakfast affirmed that he was probably in the kitchen, cooking something.

"What's going on?" Atemu asked, sitting gingerly on the edge of a chair. Joey glanced up and Yugi shot Atemu a look as if to say 'play nice'. Atemu felt offended by that but decided to not mention anything. That would probably work out better for him at the moment.

"It doesn't matter," Joey muttered as Yugi left the room. Atemu raised an eyebrow.

"It must be pretty important for you to have to start throwing rocks at my window in an attempt to get Yugi's attention," he said, watching Joey carefully. Joey glared at him through his fingers.

"Well, it's nothing I think you'll understand," Joey sniffed, his whole body screaming 'back off!' Atemu thought for a moment before looking at Joey in the eyes. This boy was a street fighter, he could tell. He had the same look about him that Bakura had when they had first met, however Bakura's situation had been a lot direr and he had been looking out for more than just himself. The thief court was proof of that. But Atemu also knew that this boy was not going to open up to him without a fight so he decided to let the matter drop. It wasn't as if he had come here for him anyway.

"If you don't want me to know that's fine. I just thought that you might like to know that I know quite a few people with bigger problems than you," Atemu said quietly. This boy was well groomed so he rationalized that he at least had a home and someone to look after him. Joey, however, didn't seem to like that comment and shot him another death glare.

"Oh yeah, rich boy? What could you possibly know about me huh? You've had everything handed to you on a silver plate!" Joey shouted. Atemu frowned, trying to put that image to his life. Sure, he had had things given to him when he wanted them but he rarely wanted anything other than some time to play with his father. Any time with his father would be good actually. Then there was the fact that his life had always been in danger, shuddering at the memories dredged up from last night's dream. His life wasn't all rainbows and sunshine either, but this boy didn't need to know that. So he decided to just be vague about things.

"Perhaps. But I know people who have no other option in life but to steal for a living because they don't have the funds for anything else. No one cares about them but you must have a home and a roof over your head. Money to pay for even a scrap of bread." Atemu looked Joey right on his eyes, knowing that the other boy would see nothing there; nothing that Atemu didn't want him to see. If the court had taught him one thing, it was that to show your emotions could be dangerous. The thief court had taught him to always keep a tight hold on all his valuables but they had their good sides too. The thief court had shown him what true loyalty was and what was going wrong in his own kingdom. However, these were things that Joey wouldn't be able to understand.

Joey, at that moment, just looked shocked. Atemu had the feeling that he had been expecting shouting, or denial. Instead he had gotten a straight answer which had thrown him off guard. Atemu had learnt what to expect with people like Joey and it wasn't often that they met someone like him, however oblivious Joey might be to who he actually was.

"I…" Joey was at a loss for words. Atemu could sense that he no longer knew what to say. Then he sighed and put his head back into his hands. "I'm sorry," he mumbled through his fingers. "I'm just having a really bad day."

"Well, at least you haven't been arrested yet," Atemu muttered, thinking of the previous day. Well, he couldn't say that he had experienced that before and it had been educational if nothing else. His father had acted like he expected him to and Atemu knew that he would probably be flogged for bringing attention to himself when he returned to Egypt. _If you return_ whispered a little voice in his head. Atemu told that voice to shut up. His father had survived worse. He hoped.

Joey just laughed at Atemu's comment and shook his head. "Yet," was all he said, before Yugi came rushing back down the stairs, looking a little startled.

"I heard shouting. Is everything all right?" Yugi asked his eyes wide, which Atemu hadn't thought possible. Yugi eyes were already wide according to nature but apparently they could get wider.

"Sorry Yug', that was me. I misinterpreted what your brother said," Joey said, sending Yugi a reassuring smile. Yugi just smiled and jumped back up the stairs again, probably to go and find a different shirt. Atemu hadn't been aware that Yugi owned a bright, canary yellow t-shirt but apparently he did. And it didn't suit him.

"You're a good friend to him," Atemu said quietly, watching Yugi go. He wished he had friends like Joey, friends that he could rely on to not pick his pocket when it suited him (Bakura wasn't that reliable) or friends that had time for him. Even friends who would tell him when they were feeling worried. Atemu felt sad, thinking about Mana and Mahad, knowing that he might never see them again. His eyes stung at that thought but he angrily blinked the tears away, telling himself that he wasn't going to cry. He _would_ see them again, he was sure of it. They came through anything those two.

Joey just looked confused. "Um, yeah. We've been friends since we were twelve and Yug' saved me and Tristan from Ushio. Well, more like he shouted that we were his friends even though we picked on him a bit and then got beat up with us." Atemu felt a stab of anger at the knowledge that that oaf had hurt Yugi more than just once yesterday. He curled his hand into a fist and tried to push the anger away. Joey hadn't done anything permanently bad to Yugi and it couldn't have been too bad if Yugi still considered them to be friends.

"What I meant was that you always seem to be there for each other. You've got…" Atemu cut off, not wanting to divulge in all the problems he had with his own friends.

"What?" Joey asked, suddenly looking interested. Atemu stayed silent, but Joey wasn't warned by his glare. "C'mon, you can't leave it at that. What is it that you think we've got?" Joey actually looked interested. Atemu sighed, glaring at the floor now.

"You've got time for each other, someone to go to when you need them," he snapped, resisting the urge to tell him that he couldn't do that with Mana or Mahad. They were always in training or doing some errand for a member of the court or, in Mahad's case, taking part in the councils. Atemu never felt more alone in the palace during these times and while Bakura might liven things up a bit when he was actually in Egypt, his long absences meant that Atemu spent most his time alone with no one but Hotep, who might be a good listener but would never be able to talk back to him.

"Oh," Joey said quietly and Atemu got the feeling that he had at least grasped some meaning from the words. However Atemu was sure that he would never be able to tell all that he had meant and he liked it that way. No one would ever be able to tell what he was feeling, not even Yugi because no one had ever tried.

* * *

Joey had walked in the living space of the house that morning feeling extremely desperate and depressed. He had been annoyed when Atemu had walked down the stairs and kept him company while Yugi was getting dressed. But even after a few moments Joey had begun to realise that Atemu was not as straightforward as he had first thought. His comment about Joey being a good friend had sounded wistful, even a little sad and Joey had realised that Atemu's life might not be as good as he had imagined it. Looking at the other boy's face now, so similar to Yugi's and yet not at the same time, made him feel that, even though he was beaten around a bit by his dad and his sister lived in the next city over, he still had the better life. There was something far too lonely about Atemu, something that was only implemented by years left to his own devices. Joey began to wonder what that was like.

A few moments Yugi wandered downstairs, thankfully wearing a different top. This one was white with a blue design on it and he was also wearing blue jeans. He looked like the total opposite to his twin. Yugi was opened his mouth to say something, probably to ask him what he wanted to do now, when the phone rang. Since he was sitting next to it, Joey picked up the receiver, something he had done many times before, having worked in the Game shop a few times.

"Game shop, how can I help you?" Joey asked, knowing that there were very few people who would ring this number for anything other than the Game shop. However, Joey wasn't prepared for the answer that he received.

"You could try telling my idiot of a cousin to open the front door," a cool voice drawled down the line and Joey was suddenly thrown back to when he was fourteen, sitting in detention with a certain annoying sixteen year old brunette, who had looked down on him the whole time either calling him 'dweeb' or 'mutt'.

"K-Kaiba?" Joey stuttered, shocked to hear his voice again. He hadn't thought he would ever see Kaiba again when the CEO had left high school early.

"Yes, mutt. Now tell Atem to open the fucking door!" Clearly Kaiba hadn't gained any new patience in the past two years. Nor had he gained a clean mouth. Joey put his hand over the receiver and looked at Atemu.

"Apparently he wants you to open the door," Joey said, not in any fit state to attempt to be polite. Atemu just raised an eyebrow and rose elegantly from the chair before leaving the room. Joey blinked, wishing that he could move like that. It would sure impress a few girls in his neighbourhood that was for sure. He put the phone back to his ear but there was nothing but a monotone, telling him that Kaiba had hung up. A moment later, the CEO himself was standing in the room wearing a dark shirt, black trousers and a white sleeveless jacket which he took off and threw on the couch next to Joey. He scowled and put the phone back in its cradle.

"What do you want?" Joey spat at him, annoyed with his arrogance already.

"Nothing to do with you, mutt," Seto snapped, then sniffed. "Is that eggs and bacon?" Joey blinked at Kaiba's sudden change in tone.

"Freshly cooked," Grandpa said, suddenly appearing from the kitchen. Joey jumped, wondering how long the old man had been there. How was it that Solomon Motou was able to sneak around even though he was sixty-eight?

Joey was shocked to see Kaiba's eyes light up as Grandpa put four plates of eggs and bacon on the coffee table. Joey wanted to say that he had already eaten breakfast but then decided it couldn't hurt. Besides he was hungry again considering his breakfast had been three hours ago.

They all tucked into the breakfast, even Kaiba, who normally declined anything less than first class. Joey waded his way through his plate, his eyes on Kaiba the whole time as he conversed with Atemu in Atemu's home language, something which sounded a bit like Arabic and yet also Japanese, Chinese and a whole bunch of other languages besides Greek or Latin. Joey was surprised that Kaiba even _knew_ the language as it sounded so obscure. When the plates were cleared away, the joking expression fell from Kaiba's face and he turned to glare at Joey.

"You got a problem mutt?" he snapped and Joey internally sighed. Back to the old Kaiba now that the food had disappeared off the table. New, but not something Joey could use against him.

"Not at all other than your mouth," Joey shot back, knowing that it would get him in trouble. Kaiba looked about to explode but surprisingly he stopped when Atemu placed a hand on his arm and shook his head. Joey wondered why he would do that for him. Less than an hour ago he had been shouting at Atemu and calling him a spoiled brat! What was with this kid?

Kaiba seemed to deflate and sighed, pressing one hand to his forehead. "Well, I actually came all the way to this dump to tell you that your father will be visiting in a week. He's told me that you _both_ must be present to explain what happened yesterday." Joey wasn't able to gage to reaction in the room. Yugi looked shocked and a little nervous but Atemu had gone pale under his tan, almost as if he wanted to either throw up or run out of the room. Kaiba seemed to take this as a reason to continue with his rather odd news. "He also stated that he would be sending Mahad here to Japan to receive medical help. He's been… ah… shot down." Joey wasn't sure what Kaiba had been going to say but judging by Atemu's horrified expression he had both gotten what Kaiba had been going to say and wished that he had never heard it.

"Mahad…?" he said faintly, his voice barely a whisper. Joey got the feeling that this Mahad was someone close to him, someone that Atemu didn't want to lose. Perhaps this was one of Atemu's friends from Egypt? It certainly seemed that way. "What about…"

"Mana's fine. Apparently she wasn't anywhere near. She'll be staying in Egypt for now." Kaiba's answer was quick and sharp, giving Joey the feeling that he liked to deliver bad news swiftly. It seemed to work as Atemu's eyes closed, a single tear falling down his face. When he opened his eyes again they were hard, his face a blank mask.

"Thank you, Seto, for coming here personally," he said quietly as if they were in a court rather than Yugi's living room. Joey wanted to reach out and give Atemu a hug or something, like he might do to Yugi or his little sister, but Atemu was too closed off for that possibility to even work. He was now as cold as ice, not meeting anyone's gaze as he clearly struggled to keep his emotions in check. Kaiba nodded and put one hand on Atemu's shoulder, probably for support. He then got up and left the room.

"Well that was as cheery as always," Joey remarked once Kaiba had left. "What was rich boy doing here?"

"Seto is my… our cousin," Atemu said, correcting himself. "It means a lot that he would drop everything to tell me that. He's usually very busy." Joey wondered how on earth two people like Yugi and Kaiba could be related but he decided to ask that another time.

"I'm sorry about… err…"

"Mahad?" Atemu looked up at him and Joey almost felt a jolt like static electricity run through him with the force of that look. Calculating… almost a glare. Joey wondered if now was the right time to try and make a truce with him.

"Yeah. My sister's gonna be in the hospital soon too," Joey said and suddenly wished he could take the words back. He hadn't intended to tell Atemu about Serenity. Initially, he had thought that Atemu might make fun of him but after yesterday he had been conflicted about his opinions. Now he wasn't sure why he had told Atemu about her but Atemu didn't react other than his eyes widening slightly. No emotion ran through his face, just a mask of indifference. Yugi still looked like he was recovering from the shock that his father was coming to Japan to take any notice of the conversation.

"What is her name?" Joey blinked. That hadn't been the question he had been expecting.

"Serenity. She's losing her eyesight and needs an operation but we can't afford it. I think my mom's gonna try and find some money for it but the truth is… she's gonna go blind." Joey stopped himself before he could say any more. Atemu was still looking at him with that calculating look but now it was more measured somehow, as if he were thinking something through at a million times an hour, calculating the positives and negatives of a plan. However Joey was not expecting his next comment.

"I'll pay for it." Even Yugi was stunned out of his shocked reverie.

"Atemu, the operation costs nearly three thousand pounds!" Yugi cried his eyes wider than usual. Atemu just shrugged.

"I stand by it. I said I'll pay for Serenity's operation and I will." Joey was surprised by the determination in Atemu's voice and wondered how much money he had if he was able to pay three thousand pounds for an eye operation and the after care for someone he didn't even know. This made him a little suspicious.

"Why do you care what happens to my sister?" he asked curiously. Atemu gave him that hard look again but it was softer than before.

"Because I watched someone at home go blind as well. And I wouldn't wish that kind of suffering on anyone, not even my own worst enemy." And with that Atemu got up and left the room, leaving two stunned teenagers behind him.

* * *

**I have no words for this really. Still trying to re-arrange my brain. Probably not the best because I'm trying to write chapter something or another of this story.**

**Anyway, answers. Yes, that's what you all probably want.**

**Magical Guest: Yeah, I've never been mentioned but I'm trying to get into recognising the people who review my stories. I also quite like vaseshipping, although I'm not too sure when it comes to the Yugioh characters. If there is romance in this though, it will probably be that. And, as I promised, Mahad mentioning!**

**osmrt1: I'm happy that you like this although I'm pretty sure that this is not the best out there. I quite liked shimmerdragoness' Homecoming, which is pretty good. There are also some really good one-shots out there that I think are better than this but, hey, it's your opinion. Thanks for reviewing!**

**CrimsonStrawberry17: Your questions are kind of answered in this chapter and I'm glad that your enjoying this story. And yeah... your are my only constant-review-without-fail-every-chapter reviewer if that makes sense. So thanks for carrying on reviewing this story!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! I have some reasons for why it's been so long and I warn you now that I only have four chapters past this actually written so unless I write some more (sadly doubtful at the mo. Explanation at the bottom) this will get sketchy as to when I update. Anyway you are all probably dying to read this chapter (unless you've already gotten bored of me) and not listen/read me blather on.**

**So, enjoy!**

**(Warning: Extreme fluffiness!)**

* * *

Yugi bit his lip nervously as he followed Grandpa down the corridors of the hospital. He hated how everything was white and smelt of antiseptic but there was little he could do. He had promised Atemu the night before that he would be there with him to see his friend from Egypt at the hospital. Atemu had been with him in the ambulance from the airport and Grandpa had followed in the car. It had been like being in his mother's funeral procession all over again, except this time the coffin was yet to be placed in the car.

The past couple of days had been a nightmare, with Kaiba coming and going, helping with the preparations for their father's arrival. Yugi didn't know why it was such a big deal but apparently everything had to be perfect for his arrival. He would be staying with Seto and Atemu had been told (ordered by his reaction) to stay at the mansion with him. He had argued bitterly against it until Yugi had said that he didn't mind coming with Atemu to the Kaiba mansion to keep him company. Mokuba had been overjoyed although Atemu seemed to be torn between arguing for and against this idea. With all the rushing about, Yugi had almost forgotten the impending arrival of Mahad, Atemu's friend from Egypt.

Now that he was finally on his way to meet him, Yugi wasn't sure what to expect. His own friends were hardly receptive of Atemu and Yugi hoped that this man wouldn't be so harsh. After Atemu had offered to pay for Serenity's operation, he and Joey had been on better terms, almost getting along apart from the odd shouting match over Yugi (he wasn't entirely sure what exactly they were about but his name was mentioned a hell of a lot). Now that Yugi was finally going to see him though, he was a little scared. With all the kerfuffle over his father, Yugi had begun to suspect that everyone from Egypt was terrifying.

They finally came to the room where Mahad would be spending his stay in the hospital, only to find Atemu sitting outside. He looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, although Yugi knew this wasn't true since he had spent another night in Atemu's room, comforting him. It was the only time that he had ever seen Atemu shed tears, and although a lot of it had been muffled by tears or in another language, Yugi had managed to catch that Mahad had been Atemu's only friend for much of their childhood and that they now didn't see a lot of each other for some reason. That part had been in Atemu's home language and Yugi had no idea what he had said.

"Hi," Yugi said quietly, sitting down next to him. Atemu didn't look up from the floor.

"Hi," he said back quietly, unmoving. Grandpa regarded them with sad eyes before leaving them to it, probably to find out what was going on. They sat in companionable silence for a long time, just waiting to see what would happen. Finally, Atemu was the one to break it.

"The doctor told me that he would be fine. That he wasn't dying or anything. It's hard to believe that though after the state he was in when he arrived." Atemu's voice was soft and he still wouldn't look up. In fact, he was slouched in the chair, something Yugi had never seen him do. He always sat up straight or lounged in a chair as if everything were a throne or daybed and he was in court being waited on. At first it had annoyed him but he had begun to view it as something that was purely Atemu. It wasn't arrogance. It was more habit.

"It's going to be ok, you'll see," Yugi said quietly but he was unsure how he could say that. The last time he had been in a hospital it was to wait for the news that his mother hadn't made it. That had been one of the most terrible moments in Yugi's life but this seemed infinitely worse. Back then he hadn't known what was going on, why everyone was rushing about in a mad frenzy. Now he understood with great clarity which made it all the worse.

"What was mother like?" Yugi blinked, looking at Atemu closely, unsure if he had heard right. Atemu had said it so softly that it was barely a whisper and he had barely caught it. Atemu looked up at his with eyes that looked far too young for his face now, wide and vulnerable. It was an odd sensation, to feel like he had to be the elder brother for once.

"She was… nice I suppose. She always asked me how my day went and tried to cover up the cracks every time I asked where you were. I think she wanted me to remember you in a good light." Yugi tried to recall his mother, her bright happy face, wondering if Atemu could do the same.

"Oh." Atemu was looking at the floor. "I don't remember her Yugi," he said quietly. "I always remembered that I had a brother but every time I try to recollect her face… nothing. I always end up seeing Isis' face because she was the one who raised me along with own brother, Marik. I never see her face." Yugi heard his brother sniff a little and Yugi put his arms around him.

"She would be proud of you," he murmured into Atemu's shirt. "And she never forgot you. She always kept a picture of you by her bed." Atemu's arms wrapped around him and his brother clung dearly to him as if he was holding on for his life. They stayed that way for a long time, waiting for any news. Not even Grandpa's return got them to separate and Grandpa just knelt down, joining the prolonged hug.

"Everything's going to be all right," he said, echoing Yugi's earlier words. "Nothing is going to go wrong this time." Yugi suppressed a sob at the thought of his mother on that gurney all over again. Atemu's arms tightened around him and they clung to each other, drawing some sort of comfort from each other.

When they finally pulled apart, Yugi became aware that Kaiba was watching them both. He was looking at them with a sort of wistful expression, which surprised Yugi. He had been expecting him to come out with some sarcastic comment, his usual fall-back. Instead he was quiet; moving to sit next to them with Grandpa sitting on Atemu's other side.

"I never thought I was going to be sitting in a hospital waiting for news on Mahad," he suddenly said, staring into space. "He's always the one that's… there." Yugi wondered if hospitals brought out the best and worst in people. He had seen his mother's siblings rush in, screaming and cursing his father when he was little. Now he was sitting in a small group, comforting others who were waiting on news of someone Yugi didn't know. And he honestly didn't care. It felt right to be sitting here, holding onto his brother's hand, taking comfort from Seto's tall slender figure.

They had been in the hospital for nearly an hour when they were approached by a doctor in a white coat. He smiled down at the small group in that way that Yugi knew meant good news.

"Your friend's ready for visitors now. He's going to be just fine." With that the man walked away, leaving them to their thoughts. Atemu sat very still and Yugi could tell that he was conflicted on entering, on seeing his friend battered compared with how he remembered him to be. He squeezed Atemu's hand.

"Shall we go in?" he asked quietly so only Atemu could hear him. Atemu hesitated, and then nodded. Seto and Grandpa stayed sitting, leaving them to go in alone.

The room they entered with dimly lit but Yugi could still make out the young man on the bed. He looked older than Atemu with long straight brown hair and coffee-coloured skin. He had the features that you might expect on a prince; sharp and defined. He was about the same height as Joey, perhaps a bit shorter. There wasn't much else that Yugi could see as he was covered in a blue hospital blanket up to his chin. An oxygen mask was strapped over his face and there was a clip on his finger measuring his pulse. The machine beeped softly in the background, measuring his heart-beat.

Atemu looked a little shocked at the sight in front of him but also a little happier. The man didn't look as if he were dying; only that he was merely asleep and that probably comforted Atemu a little. Yugi smiled as he watched his brother sit in the chair by the bed and brush a strand of hair back from the man's face. It was like he was a brother rather than a friend and Yugi was happy that Atemu had at least one person constantly in Egypt, even if they didn't have the time for him at the moment.

"He looks so peaceful," Yugi whispered, standing on the rungs of Atemu's chair. Atemu laughed softly and looked over his shoulder at him. Yugi rested his head on his brother's shoulder.

"Yes. It's the most peaceful I've seen him when he isn't meditating," he said softly, his breath ghosting across Yugi's face. Yugi smiled at him, suddenly feeling like a jittery little boy again, waiting for his mother to wake up.

"When do you think he's going to wake up?" Yugi whispered.

"Whenever you two stop talking," a quiet voice said and Yugi jumped and then cried out as he fell to the floor. He heard his brother laughing at him as well as the quiet steady laugh of the stranger. Yugi scowled as he rubbed his elbow, looking up at the pair. They certainly didn't look anything alike, the man- no, boy- in the bed with deep knowing brown eyes while Atemu's were the colour of spilled wine or, when he was angry, the colour of spilled blood.

"That's not fair," Yugi grumbled. "It's mean to surprise people in a hospital."

"Only if you're the person injured in the hospital," the boy said in slow measured tones. He sounded as if nothing could sway him and the fact that a stranger was in the room with him was testament with that. Yugi jumped back to his feet and just bounced onto the bed instead.

"Still rude though," Yugi argued, stubborn to the end. "I'm Yugi." He held his hand out for the boy to take. The boy, now sitting up, smiled and grasped Yugi's outstretched hand.

"I'm Mahad," he said, sounding as if he really meant 'nice to meet you'. Yugi smiled brightly, happy that everything was actually going to be all right and not just in words.

* * *

Seto attempted to concentrate on the work before him but found it near impossible. He wasn't even sure anymore what he had been working on and it would probably turn out a mess if he carried on like this but he had no time to stop. If everything wasn't perfect for when his uncle arrived, not only would he be in trouble for Atem's endeavours, he would also be in trouble for screwing up a royal party. Then the court would mutter about how he was in cahoots with his father and Mokuba would be dragged into it… Seto shuddered and tried to concentrate on his work again.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…_ Seto swore and threw the crumpled up piece of paper at the wall. Damn that stupid clock! But Seto knew that it wasn't the clock that was distracting him and he glanced out of the window again.

Mokuba wasn't far really and it _was_ only for one night. He was being ridiculous. The night before he had shouted at Mokuba for even mentioning visiting Mahad again in the hospital and his brother had sort of shrivelled up. Mokuba knew that his brother hadn't meant it, that all he had really been trying to say was that he was really busy and worried about Mahad and worried about Atem and lord knows what else. He knew that Seto was extremely stressed and so he didn't hold it against him but Seto had still felt bad. So for the first time in his life, he had let Mokuba stay around someone else's house. Mokuba had been ecstatic, chattering excitedly with Yugi as Solomon pulled away, only sparing a thought for his brother at the last minute.

"See you, bro! And thanks!" Seto sighed, steepling his hands together. He had hoped to clear his schedule tonight in an effort to spend the day with Mokuba before picking Mahad up from the hospital. Just one of the many things that Mahad didn't know and would very soon learn. This would be his third day in the hospital and Seto _was_ happy that he would be leaving soon but he had tried so hard to keep Egypt and Japan separate. He knew that it wasn't Atem's fault but sometimes it still felt good to blame his cousin for things.

Atem and Yugi had been faring well since the first day. Atem seemed a lot happier to know that everyone was ok, that he might not have to worry so much after all. Seto was happy too at that thought, thinking of a certain white-haired girl waiting for him back in Egypt… _No!_ Seto thought in his head, clutching it in his hands. _Nothing can happen between you. She's a peasant. Uncle won't allow it and neither will the company. Besides, it's not like she's going to wait for you forever…_ Seto bit his lip, wishing the tears would go away with that thought. He wasn't the crying sort and yet only she could bring tears to his eyes where even Mokuba failed.

Seto sighed and turned back to his paperwork. _Oh yeah_, he thought, _that's what I was working on. Domino's Kaiba-Land._ He smiled thinking of the birthday present he was planning for Mokuba. The greatest of his themes parks with a Duel Monster's tournament thrown in his honour. Nothing would be left out for his brother and the planning for it had already been put through. Maybe this evening wasn't a total loss after all…

And anyway, Seto wanted to see Mahad's face when he saw Atem doing actual work for once in the Game store.

* * *

**Ok, my computer annoyingly deleted my first attempt at this (stupid internet at quarter to eleven) so here's round two! And no one call me out on the Kaiba behaviour! I explained this in chapter 5 if you missed that.**

**Ok, for my dismal excuses as to why this will get sketchy/unreliable:**

**1)I like to hear people's reviews for each chapter. After making the mistake of dumping all my chapters on at once, I've realised that I like to see how people think the story os progressing e.g. if they think once idea stinks or they would like the story to go in a different direction (not that that may or may not happen). And I love to hear off of people as to what they think of each stage rather than the whole story.**

**2) I've spent three weeks digging holes in the ground. It's taken me over a week to remember that I actually write on this thing. I have sadly regressed to simply reading and not even Yugioh fics (I'm on a Severus Snape vibe at the moment). The holes comment is literal: I've done some volunteer work following my dream of being an archaeologist. It's really cool! As is canterbury (anyone who reads the Canterbury Times, which I'm hoping is few people, please do not disclose who I really am and I will say no more on the subject...)**

**3) Due to my lack of fanfiction inspiration, my story ideas have been shoved away in a dark cornor of my mind. Luckily this one isn't that old but I'm promising myself that I will finish The War of the Wizards which actually is pretty old so I've promised myself to finish that before I update this again (probs won't take that long hopefully. One chapter and it's closed). i should probably start writing my plots down but that just makes me not want to write it. Ruins the fun a bit because you can't change it when you want to. The main plot's still there, I just need to brush up on a few things.**

**Ok, that's over with, I just need to say a couple of things before moving on to comments. First, there is an annoying inconsistancy in chapter 4 where Officer Myette says Mr El Hakram, which was my original name for Aknankhamun until I changed it after doing research because I didn't want to offend anyone. Ignore it, I will change it at a later date (but I ahve no idea how people missed that. Especially the laser-eye Gueast from chapter 3). Second... never think back to fanfiction before falling asleep. You get weird dreams of your plot points or old plots that you thought you had forgotten... Again, please don't ask. It's just a warning.**

**So, my poor reviewers who had to wait so long for answers or shout-outs for reviewing:**

**Lady Fai: Thanks for the review! I'm working on the theory that Atem has some money of his own and that three thousand pounds (which I think was the prize money in the first season of the English dub) is nothing to someone who has a bunch of gold hidden away somewhere. Other than that, thanks! And Mahad's ok! Mainly.**

**Magical Guest: You get your wish! Mahad's arrived! I'm glad that your enjoying the story and thanks for reviewing!**

**Guest: I have no idea who you are but I'm happy your enjoying the story. Thanks for you opinions!**

**CrimsonStrawberry17: Ah, my constant reviewer. I'm sure you don't need to go to such drastic measures to review this, I'm not desperate for reviews but I'm touched all the same. As for who Atem knew who was going blind... well it's been a while with this story and I keep forgetting I'm only at this stage. But what I do know is that I was bandying around with some different ideas of people because I still have the whole Bakura and Joey mini plots going on (i don't know whether they really count as sub-plots cos they're more additions to give the characters depth). I'm thinking maybe Atem's old nurse or a child in the thief court but you'll know when I've made my decision. All will be revealed! And I'm not taking back my sequel idea, I've just recovered it so don't worry about that. As for Mahad's injury I'm not spoiling that because it's explained in the next chapter.**

**Thank you all so much for reviewing and this message is almost as long as the chapter itself! Sorry for that. Review and I swear that the next chapter is longer and they get longer still :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have no excuse for not posting this earlier. I _should_ have posted it when I planned to, when CrimsonStrawberry17 reviewed because I love them and they are my constant reviewer with amazing reviews, but then I got caught up in other stuff and yeah... Long story short I forgot which is no excuse. So I'm just going to shut up and let you guys read.**

* * *

Nerves fluttered in Mahad's stomach as he dressed, painfully, in the clothes that Seto had sent him. He had argued bitterly against having to wear them but Seto had pointed out that he couldn't wear them without gaining odd looks. Mahad wasn't sure what that would imply but he was sure that the rest of this world was about as crazy as this room, which had taken some getting used to. It was a shock to find that the lights came on without needing to light a candle, that the water in the taps was clean, plus the fact that there was actually _plumbing_. Atem may have some remnants of memory of this world but Mahad had been born and raised in New Thebes and he hadn't even been aware that there was anywhere other than Egypt before he had left. Now he was in an alien world filled with alien things.

Mahad thought back to his first day here, flying here in a private plane, falling in and out of consciousness. The injuries he had sustained had mostly been from a shadow attack but a soldier had crept up from behind him and stabbed him in the side. The strike had punctured a lung and he had been rushed, rather surprisingly, from New Thebes to Luxor, halfway across the desert for emergency help. He had woken up there with the king himself standing over him telling him that he was being transferred to Japan for safety and that he would join him there soon. Mahad had barely had time to register the fact that Atem was here too, before being rushed through a terminal in Cairo and flown to Japan, barely having time to recover from the emergency surgery. Of course, that wasn't all he had needed and he had been put through more, less severe, surgery on reaching Japan, spending a trip in an ambulance of all things, with Atem by his side. Mahad was touched that he cared so much.

Of course now, he had to face the outside world again.

Mahad had barely been able to eat his breakfast as he was so nervous. He wasn't sure what to expect from his brief glimpses of the world outside New Thebes. It was shocking to find that the rest of the world did not live as they did, secluded from the world. Mahad was unsure why they lived that way but it was never something that he had questioned. He wasn't that sort of a person and yet now his mind was asking him all sorts of questions. Why hadn't he been told about this? Why were they kept a secret? Why hadn't Atem told him about this place? Then again, Atem had spent years painstakingly teaching Mahad to speak Japanese so that they could confuse the guards when they planned to leave the palace (not that Mahad approved).

However, the technology wasn't the biggest shock for Mahad.

He hadn't shown it when meeting Yugi for the first time because back then he hadn't known it. He had just thought that the small look-a-like of Atem was just a friend that Atem had met in his few days of being in Japan. It hadn't been a bad guess but it was nothing compared to the truth. Now all the years of learning Japanese made a lot of sense, as did Atem's childhood attempts to leave New Thebes. After all, who wouldn't want to return to their twin brother?

Mahad hadn't even been aware that Atem had a brother, let alone a twin. He had always thought that Atem's mother had died while they lived in Japan and that the king had simply returned after her funeral. Now, he had discovered that not only had she been alive when Atem had moved to Egypt, that she was also living with Atem's ten-minuet younger brother. Perhaps it made sense that no one had known about Yugi, especially with everything that was going on in Egypt at the moment but it didn't explain why Atem had never mentioned him, not even when they had been little and Atem had told stories of a bright and colourful world with green grass and bright lights (Mahad had always thought that that was exactly all they were; stories).

A nurse entered the room and smiled at him. "Mr Kaiba's here to pick you up," she said, Mahad struggling to keep up with the Japanese. Even with all his practise with Atem, it was nothing compared to the speed that people spouted it here. Especially Yugi, who had been happily chattering away like someone half his age.

"Thank you," Mahad said, keeping his voice as calm and polite as always. Years of training at court had taught him similar lessons to Atem, although he had never had a very explosive temperament anyway. Nothing like, say, Bakura who had always been ready to start a fight with the nearest person. The nurse gave him another smile and left the room. Mahad took a deep breath, and left the room, wincing at the pain even taking deep breaths brought with them.

The moment he stepped into the corridor, his eyes were assaulted by the bright lights of the corridor. He gasped, blinking rapidly, attempting to get used to the light. He preferred candlelight, he decided, which was soft and comforting. This was harsh and horrible, bringing a headache almost immediately. Struggling to see, Mahad staggered down the corridor to where he knew the waiting room would be. The doctor had told him where it was the night before, telling him that this would be where Seto would pick him up from. It still felt strange to hear him called 'Mr Kaiba' considering Mahad was used to just calling him Seto.

To give Seto his due, he wasn't wearing anything too expressive that day. Dark clothes with a long sleeveless white coat, which felt blinding in these lights, but not too different to the blue and white tunics he wore in Egypt. Modern, but still Seto's style.

"Where have you been?" Seto snapped, unusually moody for some reason. Mahad didn't bother answering and just pressed a hand against his chest. Seto's flinty blue eyes softened a little and he took Mahad by the arm and led him away. "I've already signed your bloody release papers so we can leave right now. Good riddance. Hospitals are-"

"Are you always this dirty mouthed in Japan?" Mahad asked, trying to distract himself from the pain to his senses and chest. Seto didn't normally curse, although Mahad was perfectly aware that that was not the case with Atem. It seemed Japan changed people.

"Apparently," Seto snapped as they finally exited the building. Mahad blinked at the sudden onslaught to his senses. He had thought the hospital was bad with the smell of urine and bright lights but this was so much worse. The smell of petrol fumes from the road and the _vehicles_ caused Mahad to choke, wondering how the air here could be worse than the air in the desert in the middle of a sandstorm. The lights outside were flashing and blinking, causing dots to dance in front of Mahad's eyes and he blinked, attempting to make them go away. Seto seemed to notice this and smirked. "Different to Egypt?" he asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"I wasn't aware one could have so many blinding lights," Mahad muttered, throwing an arm over his eyes. "_What_ do they run on?"

"Electricity which, coincidentally, is also what lightening is made up of," Seto said sarcastically, opening the door to a long black version of the vehicles on the road (Mahad had no other words for them) and gesturing for him to get in. Mahad began to shake his head, opening his mouth to say that he would rather walk, only to find himself thrust into the thing like a naughty child, the scowl on Seto's face still permanently in place.

"How did the people get the power to control the heavens?" Mahad murmured, his eyes taking in the interior in interest. It was sparsely decorated with only chairs, some of them facing backwards. Mahad felt a little nervous as the thing started up, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as Seto rolled his eyes at him.

"Game shop. I've still got two other annoyances to pick up," Seto muttered, ignoring Mahad's last question. He wondered if this was what it would be like throughout his entire stay.

* * *

Yugi was actually having fun. Ever since Atemu had saved him from Ushio, Yugi had started to open up and let him in (although he wouldn't admit that he spent every night in Atemu's room now because he drew comfort from his brother at all). Now that Mahad seemed to be ok, Atemu seemed a lot happier, although he still insisted that Japan was too cold for him. Yugi wondered what Egypt was like if _this_ was cold.

For now the pair was simply enjoying their last few moments with Grandpa before heading to the Kaiba mansion for the next week or so. Bakura had strangely gone missing for the past couple of days but Atemu had simply stated that this was understandable- apparently there was some sort of bad blood between Bakura and their father and Bakura was simply steeling himself for seeing him again. At first, Yugi had tried to get the answer to this but Atemu refused to cough up any information so Yugi had settled for the answer given. Right now though, he was concentrating on defeating Atemu (who was currently slaughtering him) at Dual Monsters while also helping a little boy find his friend a birthday present. As the boy searched the lower shelves, Yugi glanced towards the counter which was half taken up by their game and the other half taken up by Kew. Atemu didn't look very impressed.

"So, what do you think?" Kew asked, sliding her foot onto the table. Atemu scowled at her, sending a glance to the little boy Yugi was helping, who happily hadn't noticed Kew yet. Considering she was rather scantily dressed in hot pants, a crop top and sandals, leaving nothing to the imagination, Yugi was glad he was spared the mind-scarring.

"I _think_," Atemu said firmly, although yet still somehow polite, "that you should consider that there are some very young children in this store." Kew just smiled seductively (in her opinion) at him. Yugi thought it made her look constipated and Atemu seemed to think so too.

"Oh, come on, we don't have to do anything here, where anyone can see. There's a supply closet right over there," Kew said in such a suggestive voice, Yugi making vomiting motions to Atemu who seemed to find it funny.

"Hey, mister, what do you think about this?" the little boy suddenly came out of the shelves holding a box filled four different puzzles. Yugi smiled and said,

"That should be fine but are you sure that's what he would want? There are lots of other games in here as well." The boy looked around a little (thankfully still missing Kew) and suddenly dropped the puzzle box to look at some pirate themed games, his eyes alight. Yugi wondered where his parents were as he heard Atemu's response.

"I'm sorry miss but I just don't like you that way. Now can you please leave before I'm forced to make you leave involuntarily?" Atemu's tone had a dangerous tone to it, clearly losing his temper. Kew didn't seem to notice.

"Aw you don't need to play hard to get, sweetheart," Kew said, still smiling like she actually had a chance. Atemu glanced at Yugi and he nodded back to him. It was time for Kew to leave.

"Miss, it's against the law for me to remove you myself but if you don't leave when asked I _can_ call the police to remove you and I will. Especially since you've been making inappropriate advances towards me with a child in the shop." Atemu was sending Kew a hard glare which she flinched away from.

"Well, you needn't threaten the cops," she sniffed haughtily, hopping off the desk. She stalked towards the door but Atemu suddenly called out to her.

"And miss!" Kew turned around hopefully. "Please put something else on other than your undergarments." Kew made a disgusted face and flew out of the shop in a rage, leaving Yugi giggling in the aisles after her. Atemu just shook his head and glanced back towards their game. However it was not to be. At that moment, Kaiba's limo suddenly pulled up and the little boy was back.

"It's definitely this one!" he said, his eyes shining. Yugi smiled.

"Well, why don't you take it up to the desk to pay for it?" Yugi said, giving the little boy a hand. He couldn't have been any older than about four and was as small as Yugi had been at that age. Yugi preyed that this boy would grow a bit more than he had.

As Atemu helped the little boy pay for his game, Yugi packed up the Dual Monster's game. A shame too, because he'd been having fun playing it, even if it had gone on all morning and Atemu would have won anyway. It was fun to do something other than wait for the next customer to come and pay for something, plus he wasn't helping out alone anymore.

"Where are your parents?" Atemu asked the boy as he handed him the game in a plastic bag. The little boy turned around and pointed.

"Outside the shop. They said they would come and get me from here!" he said and then looked a little crestfallen. "I don't know when that is though."

"That's ok," Yugi said. "You can stay here with us until they come back."

"No, the brat's leaving," a deadpan voice suddenly said. Yugi sighed, wishing Kaiba was a least a _little_ more sympathetic towards others. He turned to find Seto standing in the doorway with Mahad, who looked a little shocked. _Perhaps I should have let Grandpa buy those Game shop work shirts_ Yugi thought, wondering if the tags around the neck were invisible. People might think they were stealing form the shop.

The little boy looked as if he were about to cry but at that point a young woman walked into the shop. "Are you all done Toby? We've got to go!" she said, reaching out a hand to the little boy. He brightened up immediately.

"Ok mummy! Bye!" he shouted, waving goodbye to them both. Yugi could hear him faintly chattering away outside to his mother. Yugi found himself wishing that the rest of the day could drag out, not letting them go to Kaiba's but he _had_ promised.

"I suppose we should shut up shop," Yugi said quietly. "Grandpa won't be back for another hour yet."

"Where is the old man?" Seto asked, striding in as if he owned the place. Atemu rolled his eyes as he locked the cash register and tossed the keys to Yugi who ran up the stairs to leave a note for Grandpa and get their bags. He would have to leave these keys in the apartment and take the spare keys with them as Grandpa had his set to let himself back in. Yugi, grabbed his bag and hauled it down the stairs, before turning to go and get Atemu's. However Atemu had already disappeared to get his own stuff, leaving Yugi alone with two almost strangers.

"Um… hey Mahad. How are you?" Yugi asked, feeling awkward in the silence of the room. Mahad gave him a slow smile, just one of the calming things about him. Yugi was beginning to think that nothing really shocked Mahad completely.

"I am fine Yugi. A little sore but fine," he said, his voice washing over Yugi and instantly calming him down. Yugi wondered how the guy was able to do that. At that moment Atemu reappeared, his own duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Are we going then?" he asked, looking as if he could stay where he was. Yugi wondered what was so bad about their father if Atemu didn't want to meet with him. He also vaguely wondered if Bakura would be there to annoy (or entertain) them. Then again he had disappeared of late and seemed to be avoiding anything to do with the visit of their father. Or anyone from Egypt.

"I'm leaving. You lot can stay in this dump if you want but I won't be coming back for you," Kaiba said, half as patient as he usually was. That is, if he had any patience at all. Yugi sighed and pulled his bag over his shoulder. It was time for him to meet his father and, for the first time since the announcement, Yugi suddenly had the desire to hide. There was something dark going on and no one was telling him anything that was helpful. He felt as if he were about to wade into a black sea with no idea where safe land would be and he just wanted to stay.

But Yugi had made a promise. And he was going to stick by that promise no matter what.

* * *

**I know these chpaters are slightly shorter than before but I promise, they get longer again. I try to aim for the 3000 word mark for each chapter, but sometimes they fall short. I know some people write more than that, but I'm not _that_ good. Plus, I always find myself explaining the story too fast but other people can pull it off, which I find amazing. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Answers to reviews:**

**CrimsonStrawberry17: I'm happy that your still reviewing this. I thought it would be unfair to move on without you from the last chapter that I posted 'cause you always review every chapter. i do think your comment about Isis' age is fair becuase, as I've said before, I'm not all that well versed in the manga/Japanese anime unfortunately. But I've also mentioned in this story that Yugi and Atemu are about fifteen/sixteen and so I imagine Isis to be in her twenties (it always seemed that way to me in the manga). I suppose in this story she's about eight-ten years older than Atemu, but he was little at the time and so it's not out of the question for her to be a mother figure. I don't imagine her any older than twenty-five/twenty-six. That would be too much to swallow for people. But I'm glad you were able to review :).**

**Magical Guest: I'm glad your enjoying the way that I write Seto becuase I have never really seen him as uncaring before. I mean, look at the way he dotes on Mokuba in the English anime! If that's uncaring then we all just moderately care about other people. Anyway, as for your questions I think that would be giving it away the plot to answer them, so you'll just have to read and find out! Sorry if that annoys you.**

**lichito: Um... I'm glad you reviewed but I don't know how to answer you because I don't understand what you wrote. Sorry, but thank you for reviewing anyway :).**


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